The Fallen
by EeveeGen9988
Summary: If only they had realized climbing Mount Ebott was a bad idea, they would have never gone up it in the first place. Now they have fallen into the Underground, and all they have to do is find a way to escape… hopefully. For [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]
1. The Cavern:

**The Fallen:**

 **I do not own Undertale, Toby Fox does!**

 **This story is for [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]!**

 **…**

 **Part 1: The Cavern:**

* * *

Putting his foot down on the rock, pointing up to the mountain, Archie exclaimed, "We're going to explore Mount Ebott!"

"You can't be serious!" Todd instantly took ahold of Winnie's hand, sending a scowl as Archie put his foot down from the rock. "We can't go up there!"

The curly haired boy gave a frown, meeting Todd's eyes. "Aw, come on... Why shouldn't we go up there?"

"You know what the elders have said!" retorted Todd as he shook his head, pointing towards the dark grassy slope as he put in, "No one ever comes back from Mount Ebott..."

It was well known that Mount Ebott was a cursed mountain, a place that people disappeared on. Todd knew the elders weren't making up stories to tease them, but to stop them from going up it. They were always grave when they spoke of it, and would scold almost any child if they joked about it. If that wasn't enough, the mere mention of monsters set them off like it was murder. Bed monsters, vampires, werewolves… they would yell at the very person who mentioned them as if monsters were swear words, or as if it was taboo. Even Mount Ebott got them ranting to almost no end… and Todd didn't want to find out why the elders were so aggravated about the mountain. He didn't want his sister or his friends to try their luck with it.

"We're not little kids anymore, Todd," retorted Marley as she sent him a sharp look, crossing her dark-skinned arms as she snorted, "Don't be a baby, those stories _can't_ be real."

"But when you think about it, they can be, Marley," Edgar said with a sigh, shaking his head at her unimpressed as always. "It's been proven that wildlife can kill you if you're not prepared for that danger."

" _And_ … that's why I asked Todd to come!" cried Archie with a grin, nodding to him as he made his fingers move to resemble a pistol. "He's got that revolver his father gave him! And he can use it to-" He made abrupt gestures with his 'pistols' " _Bam_! _Bam_! No more danger!" With a grin, he thumped his fist into his now open palm. "That's the best protection we got! So we need you, Tod-"

Todd instantly turned, pulling his sister along as he growled, "I'm not going to put Winnie in danger! This is completely ridiculous, Archie!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! W-Wait, I just said we need you, Todd!"

"My father's revolver is not a toy, Archie!" spat Todd as he quickened his pace, hearing Winnie squeak as he guided her down the mountain. "We could seriously get hurt if we go up that mountain!"

Just as he left the dark shroud of trees, he stopped when he saw someone running towards him and squinted his eyes. If it hadn't been nighttime, he could have easily figured out who it was. So it took him a few moments of squinting his eyes at them before the person halted in front of him.

"Angie?" he breathed in bewilderment as she leaned over and panted, allowing Todd an opportunity to ask her, "What are you doing here?"

"Archie told me everyone was meeting up around this time…" she wheezed before she straightened, gasping in a deep breath before she finished, "So… I'm here..."

"And you took a long time!" Before Todd could turn around, Archie sprang out from Todd's left side to land beside him before Archie joined Angie's side. He put his arm around her shoulder and sighed. "Angie, we've been waiting for you for _ten_ _minutes_! So what was the holdup _this_ time?"

"I didn't want to rush over here, Archie…" she said flatly, brushing his arm aside from her shoulder and stepped away. "Plus, I had to make sure my little brother was asleep before I came over here." As soon as she faced him, her bright green eyes shimmered as she breathed, "Other than that, the sky looked pretty cool tonight. There were constellations I've never had a chance to see before, so I think taking a moment to gaze at them was worth it."

"Tsk, the night sky is not as cool as what _we're_ going to do!" said Archie with a grin, pointing towards the mountain as Edgar and Marley passed through the trees. "C'mon, we still have enough time to go up that mountain and down it before our parents find out we're gone!"

"I already said we're not going!" Todd growled as he narrowed his eyes, tightening his hold on his sister's hand as he shook his head. "It's bad enough you got me and Winnie outside in the first place, and our parents could be _worried_ …"

" _Our_ parents don't care about us," said Marley as she fluffed her wavy black hair, wrinkling her nose as she rolled her eyes. "I can come home anytime after my ballet practice, and they don't say anything." She tilted her head up in the air, sniffing as she went on, "In fact, if I come home and sleep all day _tomorrow_ , they won't get on my case."

"That's because they know it's my job to keep you in line." Edgar fixed his round glasses, half closing his brown eyes as he frowned. "And you know they hate how you don't listen to them."

"It's because they _suck_!" she retorted bitterly, whipping to her twin with annoyance brewing in her eyes. "Why can't we do what _we_ want? Why can't _we_ have fun!?"

"That's because your sense of 'fun' gets you in trouble."

"Ugh!" The eleven-year-old at once growled, shaking as she snapped, "Why did you come with me in the first place!?"

"As always, to make sure you don't do something you'll regret," replied Edgar flatly, tipping his glasses up. "Sadly enough."

Todd knew Edgar and Marley were inseparable... for different reasons than many would think. People expected twins to never want to leave each other's side because of the close bond they shared, but that was not the case for them. From what he had heard from Edgar, from the moment they were born they were raised in a way that made them grow up to be different than each other. As strange as it was to him, he could understand that it created a quite rift between them instead of the usual sibling bond that he had with Winnie.

Edgar loved quiet activities where he could have peace and time to himself, while Marley loved loud activities where she could feed off the attention she got. Often times Todd found that neither of them could stand in the same place and get along, instead argue like there was no tomorrow. Todd would never argue with Winnie... he couldn't bare making Winnie sad, or be angry towards her. He would never in his life want to make Winnie upset if it was over something so meaningless...

"Anyways..." Archie slurred dramatically as he grinned, stomping down to draw their attention. He thumped his chest before he exclaimed, "I'm sure all of you have at least once wanted to see what Mount Ebott has in store, right?" He pointed at Todd. "Even you, Todd! Don't tell me you lied about that one time you said you would like to know what it's like up there, because I heard you say you wanted to see it!"

"That was when we were five years old, Archie, _and_ we got in trouble with the elders," replied Todd with a shake of his head. "We're older now, and I like to think that we're smart enough to know when to stay away from places we shouldn't be."

The curly haired boy heaved out a sigh, looking somewhat deflated by what Todd said. For a second Todd finally felt that Archie understood he didn't want to go, but then Archie came over.

As he came over, he leaned towards Todd before he whispered, "Can't you at least spend five minutes with us up there? We don't spend as much time as we used to... and we might not have as much time in the future to do stuff!" For a moment he paused before he put in sadly, "I-I... you're my best friend, Todd, and I can't imagine doing this without you."

Todd frowned at once, turning to Archie as uncertainty swelled in his heart. It was true; they had been neighbors all their life... everything they did they did together. That was, until Winnie was old enough to play outside and Todd's parents left him in charge of her whenever they went to work. Nonetheless, Archie was his best friend, and in a sense, Todd felt that he may wound their friendship more than Archie's hope.

"Okay..." Todd let go of Winnie's hand, crossing his arms as he inhaled. He met Archie's brown eyes with his dark blue. "Me and Winnie can leave, only after being five minutes up there." After a second he smiled. "Will that be enough time for you?"

"Of course, Todd!" exclaimed Archie heartily as he patted Todd's shoulder, grinning as he chirped, "You're my wingman, my best friend! You can do that!" He gave a wink, and Todd felt as though he was looking past him at Winnie. "If Big Bro wants Lil Sis to get her sleep, I can't complain! Since, y'know, I don't have any sibs!"

Todd sighed. **'Really, Archie...'**

He knew that Archie was trying hard to get on his good side, most likely to make Todd squeeze in a few more minutes with them when they were on Mount Ebott. So Todd hoped Archie wouldn't try to persuade him again.

As they started up the slope, Todd could literally feel his ears throb as Marley spoke, "But seriously, did you have to drag me out of the studio, Archie?"

Todd sighed mentally, disliking the fact that Marley was still stressing about the earlier events that happened between her and Archie today. He wished she could let it go, but it wasn't like her to do that... sadly enough. All she could do was dwell on the past…

"You were taking too long, Marley!" protested Archie as he led the way, throwing up his hands as he growled, "Sheesh! I know you like your ballet, I know how you want to stay as the best dancer... but you could practice at home!"

Almost at once, she hastened her steps to walk alongside the orange haired boy, abruptly jabbing her finger at him. "You didn't have to grab my bag, and run off with it yelling at me that we had to be at the base of this _stupid_ _mountain_!" she screeched as she clenched her dark hands. "My bag is not like your _raggedy_ _backpack_! You can't just swing it over your shoulder and haul it around!"

"A bag is a bag!" yelled Archie as he quickened his pace, and Todd imagined he was trying to get away from her. "You carry stuff in it!"

"My duffle bag has delicate fabric that shouldn't be roughhoused with, and it can be torn easily!" she snarled as she sped up her pace.

"Then you shouldn't use that dainty purse to carry your stuff with!"

"It's not a _dainty_ _purse_ , it's a _duffle_ _bag_!"

Todd didn't say anything; he didn't want to get involved with the argument. It was better to say nothing; that was the advice that he got from Edgar when he had a bad first encounter with Marley when he was walking home with Edgar one day.

He turned to Edgar when the black boy whispered, "Archie sure suckered you into this... I'm not surprised."

"Archie didn't do that," Todd pointed out as they went over a few rocks. "He's my best friend."

"Well then, your best friend pulled the guilt trip on you," noted Edgar unimpressed as he crawled over the rocks after Winnie. "And you fell for it… which makes sense because you have a little sister."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Todd in confusion as he helped his sister gain her balance.

"She could sucker you into doing things for her too."

"Big Brother is always nice to me!" chirped Winnie as she stood beside him, squeaking in surprise as her puffy-sleeved bright green dress skirt and rosy pink apron fluttered in the sudden torrent of wind. After the wind subsided, she blinked her bright blue eyes as she added, "I would never be mean to him!"

Todd smiled at that, soon frowning when he met Edgar's eyes that glinted from behind his black glasses. It was then that Angie joined them, her sneakers tapping the stony terrain as she found a spot to stand. " _Ow_ …" She sucked in air for a few moments, grimacing as she did so, before she scowled at her sneakers. "Climbing Mount Ebott with only sneakers is horrible!" she said with annoyance. "If only Archie had told us what we would be doing… then I could have worn some good old hiking boots!"

She widened her eyes suddenly, turning to Winnie as she put her hand on the seven year old's shoulder. "Oh, and speaking of that… Are you okay, Winnie?" she asked in concern, clicking her tongue as she mused sadly, "Oh dear, it must be harder for you since you're wearing Mary Janes."

Winnie blinked at her black and white shoes before she looked up, shaking her head at once. With a smile she chirped, clinging suddenly to Todd's arm with a giggle, "I'm okay! I'm tough like my Big Brother!"

The brown haired girl gave chuckle at that, "Of course you are, Winnie!"

Winnie grinned at that, closing her eyes as she gave a nod. "Yeah!"

"What are you guys doing?" Todd turned to see Archie waving his hands at them, then turned to wave them towards the slope of the mountain. "We don't have all night, let's go!"

"We know that, Archie!" shouted Angie as she used one of her hands to cup around her mouth. "Mount Ebott isn't going anywhere, so don't rush us!"

Archie turned to made a face at that before he ran towards the slope.

"I can't believe him…" muttered Angie as she stared forward with a frown. "I just can't believe him at all…"

"Just because he's a year older than almost all of us, doesn't mean he's wiser than us, Angie," said Edgar as he sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know..." replied Angie as she idly kicked a pebble away, giving a sigh as well. "If he keeps racing off, or pushes us forward... he could land us in danger." For a few seconds she was silent before she shook her head. "...Or worse, we could all get injured."

"Eh, I think that mostly applies to him." Edgar gave a shrug.

"Guys... I think it's more of how he's excited about exploring Mount Ebott," Todd put in with a smile, remembering fondly all the times Archie ranted about the mountain. "He's always wanted to since we were younger, so I guess it's a dream come true for him."

Angie nodded, crossing her arms as she replied, "Well yeah, we all know that." She gave a slight smile as she shook her head. "I guess I can't blame him then. After all, we all have our dreams."

"We should go then." Todd turned and started walking, hearing Winnie dash to join his side as he called over his shoulder, "We shouldn't keep Archie and Marley waiting."

* * *

As soon as Todd led Winnie up to where everyone else had stopped, he scanned the area around him the best he could. The area was craggy, the ground was slightly irregular underneath his feet as he stood staring into the darkness before him. It was a bit disappointing in a way that Archie wanted them to all to explore it at night, Todd couldn't see anything up here. In fact, it was dangerous... He gave a look to Archie as the boy held a grin, looking overly excited about their surroundings unlike how Todd felt suddenly nervous about them.

"Okay, so now that we're here…" Angie crossed her arms, looking at Archie expectantly as she asked, "What now?"

"Well, we should all look around and see what there is!" Archie cried as he waved his hands.

"If it weren't dark outside, we could, Archie!" Marley walked ahead of them. As soon as she stopped, she turned around to stare at them. "Plus, we can't go any higher than this!"

"Aw c'mon…" Archie grinned as he walked over to her, putting a hand on her bare shoulder as he waved his other hand across him. "I'm sure there's plenty of things to see! We just need to spread out!"

Marley gave a huff, stepping aside from Archie before she walked forward. "Spread out where? There's no way we can see where we're go-ING" A shriek tore out of Marley's mouth, alarming Todd as he saw her spin and fall backwards.

At once Todd dashed forward as Archie leaned down, and Todd felt lucky that he had at least enough light from the moon to see that Marley was clinging to Archie's hands that held her own. He watched as Archie tried to tug her up, only to skid forward a little. "Help me!" hissed Archie as Todd heard some dirt shift below him. "She's slipping!"

Todd at once leaned down beside Archie, at once grabbing ahold of Marley's other hand. He could see how her brown eyes were wide with terror as he tried to pull her up, but then he heard Archie cry out as something fell nearby them. Before he knew it, Todd jerked downward abruptly and his grip loosened. This prompted Marley to let out a scream, "What's wrong with you!? Don't let go of me!"

"It's your stupid dainty purse, _Marley_!" snapped Archie as Todd noticed he was closer to the edge now than he had been earlier. "It's making me-"

Without warning Todd watched in horror as Archie fell down, hearing the curly haired boy's scream ebb the moment the dark abyss before Todd engulfed him. He felt Marley's nails dig into his wrist, but he still held on despite feeling his heart ache.

He heard someone join his side, numbly staring down into the hole as he heard Angie speak, "A-Archie… no…"

"We have to get away from here!" Edgar seemed to have joined them as well, but Todd barely heard him. "It's not safe!"

"Hello! I need to be pulled up!" cried Marley as Todd felt a tinge of pain prick his wrist. He saw her dangling arm swing up, making it harder to hold onto her hand for a while until she seemed to have grabbed onto something that was below Todd's feet. "Do you want me to die!?"

"Don't do that!" shouted Edgar, and Todd looked up in surprise to see him backing away. "You're going to shift the ground!"

"What do you mean by-"

Before Marley could finish, Todd felt the ground crumble from below him, feeling air uselessly try to catch him as his vision was instantly engulfed in darkness. Within moments he felt brief pain strike through his body before he felt nothing.

* * *

Todd blinked, instantly squinting the moment golden light blinded his vision. He groaned as he tried to get up, only to let himself stay lying down on what seemed to be something soft. It took him a few minutes until he realized it wasn't nighttime anymore, and for a moment he smiled, thinking it was only a bad dream…

" _Ugh_! Where's, my, _duffle bag_!?"

He frowned at once, knowing that Marley didn't sleep in his bed. He turned his head to the right, noticing he was surrounded by golden flowers and a couple of his friends.

At once Todd pushed himself up to sit, letting his hands support him as he looked around the area. It appeared to be that they were in some kind of cavern, surrounded by a few columns that seemed to be slightly worn away. He blinked as he noticed Archie and Edgar were standing off to the side, examining one of the columns while Marley was stomping around and yelling about her duffle bag. Angie seemed to be still on the patch of flowers with him, along with Winnie who was lying on her side… motionless.

" _Winnie_!" he cried in horror as he crawled over to her, putting his hand on her puffy sleeve and shook her. " _Wake up_! You can't be dead!"

He heard his sister groan, letting go of her shoulder as she rolled over onto her back, blinking her clear crystal blue eyes at him in surprise. "Big Brother?"

"Oh thank goodness!" he exclaimed as he pulled her up into his arms and held her close, feeling one of her blonde pigtails brush against his shaggy hair as he sighed. "You're okay…"

"But you're not…" sniffled Winnie suddenly.

Todd froze, soon letting go of her. He briefly took a moment to see that his hands were grazed, and that there was a throbbing in his shoulder that he hadn't noticed until now. He frowned, glancing at his dark brown pants that were grass stained, slightly ripped along with his yellow shirt. He quickly rummaged through his pockets, finding the pouch of bullets he kept on him was still there, and then he checked his holster to see that his father's revolver was gone. But then he saw it, a feet away from him so he moved towards it. With a yelp he fell forward, managing stop himself from crashing to the ground before he went to get it. As soon as he leaned down to pick it up, he felt a strange feeling go through him as he slid it back to where it belonged.

Suddenly he saw his cowboy hat was thrust before him, it looked a bit dirty but he didn't care about that. Instead of taking it, he turned to see that Winnie was standing by his side as her clear crystal blue eyes stared at him. "Big Brother… your hat," she said nervously, holding it up above her head as she bounced up and down on the tips of her feet. Todd soon understood what she wanted, leaning down to let her put it back on him. She at once giggled, soon hugging him as she squeaked happily, "Perfect!"

Todd couldn't help but smile. His sister got him that cowboy hat for his ninth birthday, and she never liked it when he didn't have it on. In a way, he felt like she thought that if he didn't wear it he must have hated it so he always had it on despite how the kids at school (other than his friends) would constantly mock him about it. He even got in trouble with a teacher for wearing a hat in school…

"Help!" He flinched when he heard Marley scream, "Help! We're stuck down here!" He turned to see her standing nearby, waving her arms in the air as her pink tutu swayed rapidly from the motion. "Somebody! Help us!"

"Give it a rest, Marley," said Edgar with a sigh as he walked over to her, and Todd noticed how his dark purple sweater vest, black dress shirt, and white tie looked messy and his black dress pants were slightly ripped. "Nobody will hear you."

"Excuse me!? We're stuck down here!" cried Marley as she swung around to face him, her dark hand shooting up towards the gaping hole above them as she growled, "I'm not going to stand here and starve, _Edgar_! What else can we do!?"

"First of all, no one goes up Mount Ebott, so who will hear you calling?" asked the black haired boy as he sighed, shaking his head as he stared at her. "Second, there's no way we can get back up there because it's too high for us to climb." Upon looking up, he sighed. "Oh, and by the way… you might want to get used to wearing your leotard and tutu, Marley."

"What do you mean by that!?" she asked angrily, her brown eyes narrowed as she poked him. "If this is one of your annoying ways of saying we'll never get out-"

"No, not at all." The black boy sighed, turning his sister around despite her protest and pointed up. "It's just that getting your bag down will be impossible."

Todd looked up as well, flinching the moment Marley screamed as he noticed how her duffle bag was dangling from a jutting rock. Upon looking back down, Marley was shaking as she grabbed onto her wavy black hair as she screamed again, "No, this can't be happening! The clothing I was going to change into is in there!"

"I told you your dainty purse was stupid!" called Archie as he trotted over to join them. Todd couldn't help but stare at him, seeing how his arms and legs were slightly red from the blood that had crusted over them. At once Todd strode towards him, stopping when Marley swung around to glare at Archie.

"My duffle bag is _not_ stupid, Archie!" cried Marley angrily as she stomped up to him, pushing him back and making him cry out. "What were you doing when you got it up _there_!?"

" _'Cuse me_ , but I was too busy falling and trying to grab onto something to save myself from _dying_!" The orange haired boy clenched his fists, glaring at her as he crossed his injured arms the moment Todd got beside him. "That thing weighs too much for anyone to carry, and it was because of your stupid bag that I fell!"

Todd at once pushed himself between the two, making sure there was a good enough space between them so they couldn't claw at each other from either side of him. "Stop, This isn't helping anyone!" he said in frustration as he looked back and forth at them. "Right now, we should worry about getting out, not going for each other's throat."

"He does have a point," said Edgar aloud as he walked over. "We should really look for a way out."

Todd turned to see Archie and Marley were glaring at each other, Marley looked a bit more sour while Archie was clenching his arms tightly with his hands. But then they looked away as Archie let out a growl, "Alright, as long as Marley keeps her whining to a minimum…"

"Hey!" yelled Marley as she glared at him again. "I do not whine, I only voice my opinions!"

"Eh, close enough," said Archie with a huff, soon letting go of his arms that looked terrible. "I just want to get outta here soon."

Todd gave a sigh of relief; stepping away from his friends now that he was convinced they weren't going to attack each other. As he walked over to Edgar, Todd was joined by Winnie as she looked up at Archie with wide eyes, "But you're also hurt!"

"I'm fine, Winnie!" The curly haired boy gave a smirk as he clenched his hand. "I got a lot of grit, and it takes more than a fall to take me out! After all, I'm a man! And men don't go so easily from scrapes and scratches."

"Archie, don't you dare say you're fine, you look terrible," scolded Angie as she came up from behind Winnie, and Todd noticed how intense her glare was. "You took the worst fall from out of all of us, and almost everyone landed on you." When Archie was about to open his mouth, Angie's voice went sharp. "You have to rest!"

"I don't need rest…" said Archie as he clenched his fists. "Todd and Edgar are right, we need to get out as quickly as possible."

"Have you looked at yourself, Archie?" asked Angie pointedly as she shook. "If you run off now, you'll injure yourself more!" She then huffed, "We need to rest for a while. I don't know how long we need to rest, but you need to let your injuries heal, Archie."

"For how long!?" snapped Archie.

"Maybe a few hours, maybe a day or two-"

At once Marley shot Angie a glare. "That will take ages! I can't stay in a leotard and tutu for that long!"

"So what do you suggest?" Edgar asked.

"An exit has to be nearby!" she said sharply, turning in a direction where it looked like it was a deeper part of the cave that they were in. " _All_ caves have exits! And it can't be too far because it doesn't look like we're that deep!"

"And what if we're in a large cave?" asked Edgar again, giving a sigh as he closed his eyes. "Then it might not be a good idea for wandering off."

Marley at once gave a growl, pointing upwards sharply as she yelled, "Look, there's loads of sunlight! So we can't be that far!"

Edgar was about to reply to that when Archie piped up, "Yeah! Why should we stay in a dingy cave when the exit is nearby? We should go now!"

"But, Arc-" Angie shot him a glare.

"What if it is?" asked Winnie, making everyone look down at her as she breathed excitedly, "We can be home then!"

Angie's expression suddenly became pained; her mouth was slightly open as she stared at Winnie then looked at everyone. Todd blinked as she closed her eyes as her expression twisted more. "We should wait."

"We can't wait!" Todd widened his eyes and gave his attention to Archie, who was scowling at her. "If we stay here, if the exit is right close by… then we're sitting here for nothing!" Before anyone could say anything, he stomped down. "If you want to wait here, then wait! Everyone else will go!"

At once he turned to dash away, soon stopping to whip back to stare at them. "What are you waiting for, guys? Let's go!"

Todd only stared back, shaking slightly as he wanted to follow, yet for some reason his feet wouldn't move. He wanted to get Winnie home as soon as possible, he wanted to make sure everyone did… Yet he could only stare at his best friend, his throat felt dry, and he could hardly bring himself to keep breathing.

He could imagine it was possible it was that close, but something in his gut told him something didn't feel right. It then occurred to him that they didn't know what was outside of this room. They might walk out and find themselves in darkness, blindly walking around for ages until they collapsed from exhaustion… They could go out, only to meet a dangerous animal that could maul them to death on the spot… …Anything could be there.

"G-Guys?" Archie breathed shakily, his expression softening to confusion as he waved behind himself. "C-C'mon, we have to go."

"Archie…" Todd said slowly, stepping forward until he stood with Archie. "We shouldn't rush out of here when we don't know where we're going."

"We fell into a cave, Todd!" exclaimed Archie with a few airy chuckles as he threw up his arms. "How can we when we haven't been here before!?"

For a few seconds the shaggy haired boy stared at Archie, narrowing his eyes as he thought bitterly, **'What is wrong with you? Why are you acting as though this is nothing!? You shouldn't be laughing this off like it was a joke!'**

"We shouldn't be here in the first _place_ , _Archie_!" spat Todd harshly as he took a step back, clenching his hands into fists. He saw Archie's eyes go wide with shock as he shouted, "We shouldn't have climbed this mountain in the first place! We shouldn't have listened to you in the first place!" After a pause he shouted louder as he shut his dark blue eyes tightly, "We should have listened to the elders, Archie! I don't know what you were thinking when _you_ called us yesterday to come _here_ , but now you're trying to lead us forward again without an idea of what's out there! You're going to get us all _hurt_ _again_!"

As Todd opened his eyes, he saw Archie staring at him blankly. No one spoke, no one moved, and Todd couldn't help but break it. He took one step forward and growled, "Think for a moment! But if you think you're thinking, go on ahead without us!"

With that, Todd swung around and stomped back to his friends, only stopping after a few seconds the moment they stared at him. The only person he could focus on was Winnie, who was shaking, who was completely pale as her eyes brimmed with tears. At once he wanted to run up to her and apologize for what he did, but Marley came forward, and he braced himself for any verbal lashes… but she didn't. All she did was stride past him, and he turned around to see her stop beside Archie.

"We'll go find an exit, and we'll be back," said Marley in a level, bitter voice as she shook. "If you think we don't know what we're doing, we do. We want to get out of here." With that she shot Todd a scowl from over her shoulder before she started to stomp forward.

Todd let his shoulders droop. **'I want that too. I want that for everyone.'**

As Todd glanced at Archie, his best friend soon lowered his gaze. Before Todd could say anything Archie spoke, his usual energy was clearly sapped from how downcast he sounded, "Until we get back, keep them safe, Todd." Todd's breath hitched as he reached towards Archie as he took a step forward, only stopping as the curly haired boy turned around to follow after Marley. All Todd did was watch Archie walk away, giving a sigh the moment he was gone.

 **'I will, Archie.'**

* * *

The harsh sunlight was weaker… Todd stared at the ceiling's hole as he thought about his earlier actions. He knew he shouldn't have yelled at Archie like that, but he couldn't take how Archie was acting so inconsiderate at that moment in time. Todd guessed the situation had gotten to him, just like the rest of them…

As he looked back at Winnie, she gave him a sad look that made his heart strain.

He couldn't take how he hurt Winnie as well. She always got upset when he got angry, so he always tried to keep his anger under control for her. Yet for some reason he couldn't this time…

Angie sighed from beside him. "Someone had to break it to him, Todd."

"I didn't mean to yell at him," said Todd meekly, looking down at his lap as he went on, "I should have controlled myself better."

"But no one else could have gotten through to him." When Todd glanced at Edgar, he found it hard to see the black haired boy's eyes from behind his glasses that the sunlight bounced off of. "If it came from us, I don't think Archie would have taken our word."

The dark brown haired boy closed his eyes. "But I still shouldn't have done that."

"Archie tends to listen to you, Todd," replied Edgar sternly. "Every time I tell him to stop leaving his underwear at my house, he doesn't."

"And why would he do that…?" asked Angie suspiciously.

The black haired boy sighed. "I made the mistake of letting him stay the night once, and ever since then he thinks it's okay for him to make sure his clothing is there if he needs to stay ever again." Edgar paused for a while before he grumbled, "My mother keeps mistaking his underwear for mine, yells at me for leaving it around the house, and I keep telling her it's his yet she doesn't believe me."

As Todd opened his eyes, he noticed how Edgar was holding a purple book that he was writing in. "What's that?" he asked curiously, instantly making Edgar pause.

"My notebook," replied Edgar as he started to write again. "it's good to keep something like this around."

"What are you writing in it?" asked Todd when Edgar clicked the top of the pen, closing his notebook.

"A reminder to ask you to tell Archie to stop leaving his clothing at my house," said Edgar flatly as he put the notebook down on the patch of grass. "After five years of telling him not to, I think you can finally convince him for me."

 **'Okay…'** Todd frowned at that. **'Good to know?'**

"Speaking of Archie, they have been gone for a long time," said Angie suddenly.

"Huh?" Todd frowned.

"Marley and Archie." Angie looked at him, blinking as she spoke, "They're still not back."

"Yeah…" said Todd as he sighed, turning his head in the direction he last saw them. "It's been, like, thirty or more minutes, right?"

"It's been longer," said Edgar as Todd frowned at that. Upon looking at all of their blank expressions, Edgar gave a sigh as he explained, "Judging by the amount of light we have, they left in the morning, so it has to be past noon now."

"So what you're saying is…" Todd took a moment to think it over before he said, "They have been gone instead for three or four hours?"

"Exactly." Edgar got up, dusting himself off before he mused, "I have to guess the exit wasn't close then."

"Should we wait more, or should we go after them?" asked Angie as she got up, not bothering to dust off her dark jean overalls as she strode out of the patch of golden flowers. "I'm kind of getting worried."

At once Winnie shot Todd a worried look, her eyes were flashing with fear as she murmured, "Big Brother?"

 **'Something doesn't feel right… they should have gotten back by now.'** Todd looked at his lap again, closing his eyes for a minute before he sighed. **'** **I think we should go after them.'**

Pushing himself up, he stared at the darkness before them as he nodded. "Let's go."

As he waited for his sister to get up, her rosy pink apron limply swung forward and Winnie at once squeaked. She grabbed both of the laces of the apron, bringing them to her back as her small hands fiddled with it. It was a while until Todd sighed, gently pulling them from Winnie as he murmured, "Allow me to do it, Winnie." He easily tied them together, soon making a bow within a minute then let go. "There you go."

His sister spun on the spot, her skirt ruffling from the current she created as she giggled. When she stopped she gave him a hug, soon chirping with glee, "Thank you, Big Brother!"

"You're welcome," he replied, soon smiling as she grabbed ahold of his hand.

"Now that you're done that, we should go…" said Edgar as his mouth pulled back a bit.

"Right, right…" Todd said as he glanced at Winnie before he started to walk forward, bracing himself as he left the sunlight. As he inched towards the darker area, he soon noticed something coming into the distance. It was a strange purple arch, having a winged symbol on the top with three triangles, the middle one upside-down, below it. He studied it for a moment before he heard scribbles, and turned to see that Edgar was writing in his notebook again. "Writing down another reminder?"

"No, I'm making a note of this," said Edgar flatly, clicking the pen before he put it away. "If we get out of here, it'll be good to let people know what we saw."

"Well, okay then," said Todd with a shrug, wondering if anyone would actually believe them about this before he went through the archway. As he got to the other side, he kept going forward, over the patch of grass where a smaller portion of sunlight shone down. Again there was an identical archway, but this time when he entered through it he found himself in a brightly lit room.

"Whoa…" Angie had joined him, instantly taking a few steps forward as she pointed towards two sets of stairs before them that led up to a purple-bricked structure. "Who would have thought we'd see this?"

"Well, it shouldn't be there," mused Edgar as he went past Angie to lean down, sliding his hand along one of the steps carefully before he looked back. "Or, maybe this cave isn't quite what we thought it would be…"

"Yeah, maybe it is…" Todd started up the steps, making sure he didn't go too fast for his sister until he got to the top. As he felt her let go, he turned to Edgar who reached the top. Upon looking up, Todd saw that there was a plaque above the entrance, but he couldn't read it it all. So instead of trying to read what it said in vain, he followed Edgar through the entrance.

This time they were in a smaller room, yet Todd couldn't help but stare at the door that remained closed. Nearby were some lightly coloured tiles along with a plaque that Edgar was reading. As Todd joined him, Edgar spoke, "It seems to be a puzzle."

"Why would there be a puzzle here?" asked Angie as she came in, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I don't know." Edgar sighed. "I don't explore caves often."

Todd turned around to speak when he noticed that Winnie was about to put her foot down on one of the tiles, causing Edgar to cry out. "Don't-" Winnie froze, soon looking at Edgar as he guided her away from it as he hissed, "Those are tiles that must be linked to the puzzle, Winnie! _Don't_ disturb them!"

"I'm sorry…" whimpered Winnie with a sniffle, looking down at her feet at once. "I didn't mean to…"

Todd came over and sighed, resting his hand on her shoulder as he spoke gently, "It's not your fault, Winnie." As he sent a scowl to Edgar, he went on, "We just need to be careful about the things we don't know about."

"Yes, you should be," said Edgar flatly, adjusting his glasses before he gestured to the six tiles. "There has to be a certain pattern to open the door, and if we accidentally use the wrong one…"

"We could meet a terrible, unfortunate fate?" suggested Angie as she idly fixed her one of her overall straps.

"Yes." Edgar shook his head. "That."

The brown haired girl grimaced. "Well then, which one should we press, Eddy?"

Tapping his chin for a while, Edgar leaned down and started writing in his notebook again. Angie shared a bewildered look with Todd before they watched Edgar continue to write, soon stepping on one of the corners tiles before moving off of it. As he tried the next corner tile, Todd couldn't help but wonder if he should help him when Edgar spoke, gesturing to the last two corner tiles. "Okay, I need you Todd and Angie to stand on those last two tiles."

"Why do you think those ones will work?" asked Angie as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"The plaque had a riddle, and I think my hypothesis will only be true if you do what I ask, Angie," replied Edgar as he sighed.

"Well, it would be nice if you told us." Sighed Angie as she stopped beside the pads that Edgar had gestured her to. "And you seemed to have had everything under control by doing the puzzle yourself."

"And it would be swell if you did what I said," replied Edgar unimpressed. "I want to have _some_ group participation happen."

Angie grimaced, soon stepping onto the pad with a roll of her eyes and a few mutters.

As soon as Todd got on the one Edgar indicated, he blinked as a click sounded. As he turned towards the sound, the door was open.

"Well done, everyone." Edgar quickly wrote down something before he clicked the top of his pen again, soon walking towards the door without hesitation. "Let's hop on over to the next area."

Todd gave a brief look to Angie before they strode after him, going through the door into a wide room. What he first noticed was that there were three switches were nearby, each of them tarnished in shade of either copper, silver, or gold. And when he turned his attention to his right, there was a stream that cut them off from the next part of the room, and from afar there would seem to be a similar one that sliced through the final part. As Winnie joined him, Todd knitted his eyebrows as he looked at Edgar. **'Three switches, huh? I have to wonder if it's another puzzle?'**

"Hey, there's another plaque," remarked Angie as she went over to it, studying it for a few seconds before she read it aloud, "Before you stretches options, but choose wisely if you so wish to pass. Only one can be chosen, choose wrong and you will fall back. But in the end, not choosing is not the option."

"But not choosing is an option," said Edgar with a shake of his head as he pointed towards the nearby stream. "That stream over there is not too wide for us to jump across it…" He then put his hand on his chin. "Although, I have to wonder what would happen if we did."

"I could find that out for us," said Todd as he centered himself in the middle of the path, preparing himself for the jump. "And I'm pretty sure I won't be killed from doing that."

"But, Big Brother, you're hurt!" protested Winnie in distress as she ran over to hug him, making him relax into a casual position as she cried, "What if you don't land right!?"

"Don't worry, Winnie," said Todd as he smiled at her. "My leg isn't busted up after falling, so I'm pretty sure I will be fine." He put his hand on her head. "You have to trust me on this."

"But I'm still worried!" squeaked Winnie as he gently pulled away from her. "What if you don't land right!?"

"Your brother won't die, Winnie," said Edgar with a sigh, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "Just let him try." For a few seconds Edgar held his gaze with Todd as he said, "Unless… you somehow sucker him out of it."

As Todd looked back at Winnie, she blinked as she asked curiously, "What does Edgar mean by sucker?"

"How about we have that conversation later, Winnie," said Todd as he scowled at Edgar, mouthing his annoyance and shaking his head at the black boy before he breathed in deeply. "Anyway, it will only take me a second to check, Winnie. Trust me."

Winnie stared at him for a long while, biting her lip only for a second or two before she lowered her head and stepped back. "Okay…" she murmured sadly.

As Todd breathed out a sigh of relief, he braced himself before he pushed hard on his feet. Just as he got to the edge, he leapt into the air… It was a few seconds later that he realized he was falling towards Edgar. **'What the-'**

He let out a yelp as pain struck through his body the moment he crashed into his friend, soon finding himself laying on the ground. Todd got up slowly, groaning as he settled in a sitting position as his sister ran over to throw her arms around him.

"Big Brother, are you okay!?" she cried out tearfully as he grimaced, finding that the pressure she was adding to his body wasn't helping to stop the pain. He merely frowned as she squeaked, "Are you _okay_!?"

"I'm fine…" he replied, although he was pretty unsure if he really was. "I think Edgar broke my fall."

"Not really…" Edgar hissed in a breath as he fished his glasses from the ground, adjusting them promptly before he rubbed his arm. "It's not really true that people don't get hurt if they fall on someone, so your bones must have suffered some damage like mine, Todd."

Todd grimaced at that, getting up only after his sister let go of him. The moment he found his balance, he heard Winnie squeak tearfully, "You're only hurt because you didn't land right!"

"Although he did find out why not choosing to use the switch was not an option," grunted Edgar as he got up as well, hissing in another breath sharply before he sighed. "When I said, 'I have to wonder what would happen if we did', I didn't mean you should do that."

"But you said I should try…" pointed out Todd.

"I didn't mean-" Edgar pushed his glasses up, breathing out deeply. "You didn't have to actually try that."

Todd let out a groan. **'You made it sound like someone should…'**

"Hey guys," said Angie as she shook her head, soon tapping at the plaque. "It has more to say."

"Why didn't you tell us that sooner, Angie?" asked Edgar unimpressed.

"I was going to," said Angie as she crossed her lightly-coloured arms. "But you guys seemed to be more interested in seeing whether or not we could skip the switches…"

The black haired boy sighed at that. "I see your point."

"So what does the rest say?" asked Todd curiously as he walked over to her, taking one look at the plaque before he faced her when she spoke.

"It says that 'We loved the sunlight'." The brown haired girl sighed. "But I don't quite get it."

 **'Hmm…'** Todd put his hand on chin for a few seconds before he faced the switches. **'What does that have to do with the switches?'**

"That doesn't help us…" said Edgar as he sighed, shaking his head as he mused, "Is that supposed to be a hint, or a fact?"

"Well, it should be a hint, said Angie as she closed her green eyes. "Why else would it be here?"

"That's a good point," said Todd as he noticed that Winnie had walked over to the switches, soon drawing his attention back to his friends. "It doesn't make sense to just talk about facts like that…"

"Ah, that would be the case... unless the person who wrote that was trying to confuse us." The black haired boy took out his notebook, writing something down before he sighed. "Does anyone else have-"

A click sounded from behind them, and Todd had only a second to wonder what that was before he heard the swishing of water. As he turned towards the stream, he saw that a few stones were rising from beneath the water, soon stopping its flow as an erected path blocked it.

 **'How did…'** As he turned to his sister, he noticed how the golden tinted lever had been pulled down. **'Oh…'**

"Why did you do that?" asked Edgar sharply as he shot a glare at Winnie.

"It was so shiny!" chirped Winnie as her eyes sparkled.

"Were you paying attention to our discussion!?" barked Edgar as he pointed his pen at her. "What if that was the wrong switch!?"

As Winnie looked down, Todd turned sharply to Edgar as he spat, "Winnie didn't mean to do that, Edgar!"

"Then why did she pull the switch?" asked Edgar curtly. "No one else was close enough to do it."

" _Ugh_ , she's seven-years-old, Edgar!" spat Todd before he grabbed Winnie's hand and led her away. "You shouldn't blame her!"

As they got across the stone bridge, Todd spotted an identical set of switches that were on the wall, along with another plaque. As he walked over to it, he took a moment to read:

 **We will never be blessed again by the moonlight**

As Todd smiled, he sort of understood what was going on. So far the messages spoke about certain things that hid a colour in them… and since he guessed that the gold switch represented the sunlight, he could only assume that the next switch would be the silver one.

The moment he flipped the next switch, stones rose from the water again, creating an identical path across the water. As he turned around, Edgar nodded to him as he spoke, "Well then, it looks like you didn't need much time to figure that one out."

"Well, I get what the puzzle means now," replied Todd with a shrug.

After he crossed over to the next area of the room, he noticed a row of meancing spikes were blocking off a certain part. He could only guess this was the end of the room as he approached the last plaque.

 **The last thing we saw was the sunset**

"Okay then, so it's the gold switch, right?" asked Angie as she reached towards the said switch.

"Not quite, Angie," rebuked Edgar as he grabbed her hand, drawing it back as he put in, "You said that only one choice could be made, right?"

"Um, yeah… I did." Angie tilted her head to one side, making her loose ponytail that she tied up with a red ribbon slide sideways. "But why wouldn't it be the gold switch?"

With a click of his tongue, Edgar shook his head. "We already chose gold, so only copper is left." As Edgar pulled down the copper one, the spikes abruptly shot down into the ground. Todd could only be amazed that Edgar corrected Angie's choice so quickly…

The girl in the cyan and white striped t-shirt crossed her arms as Edgar started to write in his notebook again. "Okay… why _was_ it copper?"

"Sunsets tend to be more of a orange colour rather than gold," explained Edgar as he put his notebook away. "And copper is a darker shade of orange, so I can only expect that you understand the rest of my explanation."

With a huff, Angie gave a humourless laugh, "Of course I do."

Todd sighed, smiling slightly as he thought, **'I can't imagine a day where Edgar never outsmarts us all…'** As he turned back to the end of the room, he blinked as he thought on, **'And if it wasn't for him, we might've been stuck in this room for who knows how long.'**

As they went along, they kept to the path, which shortly brought them to another room. Todd thought it was strange how this room was so barren, unlike the other rooms they had been in. He couldn't help but stare at the winding path before him, wondering if there were any invisible walls or something that they had to get around. After all, they kept coming along to puzzles, so it made sense there was one. But as they walked along to the other side of the room, they didn't come across anything that was remotely one. And when they exited the room, Angie went ahead of them to a plaque that was on the long wall.

After a few seconds of staring at it, Angie slightly turned back to them as she called, "Hey, Edgar, could you come over here and see this?"

With a sigh, the dark skinned boy went over as he sighed. "What, does the plaque have something interesting?"

"It is interesting, because I can't quite figure out what it means by 'The western room is the eastern room's blueprint'," Angie said hopelessly as he joined her side. "Since you seem to be a puzzle master, can you tell me what you think it means?"

"Well, it would seem, clearly, that two rooms are connected and are a puzzle," replied Edgar curtly as he stared at the plaque, shifting his glasses a little before he turned his head to her as he mused, "So I guess we need to pay attention to whatever is in the first room in order to get through the next one."

Todd gave a shrug as he spoke hesitantly, "Well, the only thing I saw in the last room was the path, so I don't think this will be an easy one."

Edgar turned to meet his eye. "Todd, I think you got it."

"But I only said I saw the path." Todd frowned as his friend sighed.

"Todd, it's the path."

The only thing Todd did in response to that was drawing his hand back to rub the nape of his neck. "Oh, I guess that makes sense why the path is strangely designed."

"So does that mean we have to memorize the path?" asked Angie as she and Edgar walked back to them. "It will take a long time if we do."

"Unless we draw the outline of it," said Edgar as he held up his notebook, giving out a sigh as he put in flatly, "But that will take long as well."

"Oh, there's no rush, guys," said Todd brightly as he smiled. "We shouldn't go forward until we're sure we know what it is."

"Right, then how about you two check out the next room, and me and Eddy will get started here?" As Todd gave her a thumbs up, Angie started to walk back to the other room.

"I wish you could stop calling me that, Angie," grumbled Edgar as he followed after her.

"Eddy has a nice ring to it," came Angie's lax response. "I like it."

As the two of them disappeared into the distance, Todd could only smile when Winnie asked sadly, "Why don't they get along, Big Brother?"

"They do get along," chuckled Todd in amusement. "If they go through a whole day without acting like that, I would think they're not getting along."

Winnie only made a face at that. "That makes no sense..."

"Don't worry, Winnie, it will make a lot of sense when you're older." Todd nudged her gently towards the other way. "C'mon, let's go and scout out the next room for Angie and Edgar."

"Okay!" Winnie chirped cheerfully as Todd led her away.

They soon came up to a huge body of water that stretched a good distance to the other side. From where Todd stood, he could tell the next room could only be reached that way. Although, it certainly was shallow for such a large pool, so he held onto his chin as he wondered why they even needed the last room's blueprint if the water was shallow enough to wade through.

"Can't we go now?" asked Winnie as her blue eyes seemed to focus on the water when he gave her a glance.

"Not yet." The shaggy haired boy shook his head before he looked back at the still water. "We don't know why we need the path, so it's safer if we try to not cross it and not find out why we shouldn't go straight through."

Winnie gave a giggle. "You're so smart, Big Brother."

"Eh, not as much as Edgar," said Todd truthfully, rubbing the back of his neck.

The only thing Winnie did in response to that was give him a hug. "I still think you're pretty smart!"

 **'But that's not it. I just don't want to head straight into danger, I'm not that smart,'** thought Todd sadly as he returned her hug, soon pulling back when something hard pressed against him. **'Huh…?'**

"…Winnie, don't tell me you brought a frying pan along…" he said slowly with a sigh. He watched as his sister flinched, soon withdrawing it from the pocket of her apron. It was a small one, probably good for frying up one egg.

"Uh huh," hummed Winnie with a smile, holding it up above her. "I wanted to make sure I could defend myself like you can, Big Brother!"

"Winnie, there are certain times when we should defend ourselves," said Todd sternly as he sighed. "I can't just pull out dad's revolver whenever I wanted to and shoot anything or anyone who crosses my path. So I don't want to see you using your frying pan on anything that _just_ moves."

"You mean, like the time I hit you?" asked Winnie sadly as she gave a sniffle.

Todd could only grimace. "Y-Yes… y-you shouldn't hit things like you did that one time…"

Winnie one time mistook him for a burglar when she was younger, although it made sense because it was during the times that their parents started to work night shifts and that made her feel insecure. Todd had only been minding his own business getting a glass of water when he accidentally dropped it, and he cut himself with the glass. And when he went to try and find the first-aid kit in the hallway closet, he might have made too much noise because it spooked Winnie. …It took many days for the nasty bruises on his arm to go away.

The blonde lowered her gaze. "I didn't mean to last time…"

"I know you didn't, Winnie," said Todd gently as he gave her a hug. "And I know it wasn't your fault."

As Winnie's head rose, meeting his gaze timidly, they both flinched at the sound of croaking. At once they moved apart, looking around until Todd spotted two strange looking white frogs standing nearby them. What really creeped him out was how between their front legs, something was blinking at him…

"Oh look!" Winnie chirped as a grin formed on her face. "Froggies, Big Brother!"

Todd could only stare at them, feeling a strange sense of fear engulf him as they continued to croak, hopping closer. He took a step back, biting his lip. **'These frogs… they're not normal...'**

Right away he pulled Winnie close to him, reaching back with his other hand to hover it near the handle of his revolver. He kept his gaze on the frogs, hearing Winnie's cry of confusion as they hopped closer, "Big Brother, what's wrong!?"

"Stay close to me, Winnie," said Todd in a low tone of voice as he narrowed his eyes, watching as the two white frogs blinked their eyes before they croaked. As Winnie was beginning to speak, one frog sprung towards them, making Todd step back as he cried out, " _Look out_!"

For a brief moment he tottered backwards, swinging his arms around to try regain his balance when the other frog leapt at him, knocking him into the cold water. As he cried out in shock, pain suddenly struck through his back, making him jump and roll over in surprise onto his stomach. He tilted his head up, trying not to inhale the water that swooshed near his mouth, hearing Winnie's cry of fear. Despite how his back ached, he pushed himself up only to find that the first frog had her backed up to the wall.

"Winnie!" he yelled as horror sliced through him.

"Big Brother, _help_!" cried Winnie as she raised her frying pan up shakily. "It's attacking _me_!"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!" he shouted frantically as he took a step forward, crying out when something sharp struck through his foot. As he drew his foot back, he hissed in a painful breath before he widened his eyes, watching as some flies came from almost thin air and began whirling around Winnie. Upon hearing her terrified screaming, he growled before he reached for his revolver, swiftly scooping three bullets out of his pouch and popped them into three of the revolving chambers of his revolver.

Right away he readied his revolver before he squinted his eyes, trying to aim it the best he could at the frog. He wished his father could have taught him more about how to use a revolver, he only had one or two lessons before his father started getting called in for work so frequently he almost had no time to spend with Todd. He tried to will away the tears that welled up in the sides of his eyes, trying to make his shaky hands remain steady as he pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck the ground right beside the frog's foot, making it leap into the air in shock before it turned its eyes to him the moment it landed. At once it began to make strange rapid croaking, most likely scared by the shot Todd made, then began to hop towards him. At once Todd readied his next shot, feeling relieved his sister was no longer in danger, and not at all did he mind the fact that he put himself in more danger than Winnie.

He only wished he knew where to step down… then he would be able to deal with the frogs better. It would seem as though something sharp, something very pointy was hidden underwater. If he wasn't careful, he could badly injure his feet… and probably get killed by the frogs.

As they hopped into the water, waving their legs around as they began inching towards him, he raised the revolver again, trying his best to aim while Winnie cried out for him fearfully. He wanted his sister to stop being scared, he couldn't focus when his sister was in distress.

He waded backwards through the water, finding that he seemed to be stepping on a safe area as the frogs came closer. He felt his hands slide suddenly, and he cried out in dismay when the revolver fell into the water, " _No_!"

"What's going on!?" As Todd's head whipped up, he noticed that Edgar was now standing beside Winnie while Angie ran straight towards the water. "Todd!"

"They're attacking _him_!" came Winnie's cry as a frog nearly met up with him, and he tried his best to lean down and paw at the bottom for his revolver. "Help my Big Brother, _please_!"

"We will, Winnie!" said Angie boldly as she turned back towards the water.

"Don't move, Todd!" shouted Edgar urgently as he waved at him. "You don't know where to move!"

"I know _that_ , _Edgar_!" hissed Todd in frustration. His fingers managed to brush against his revolver when a frog leapt right into him, pushing him backwards (luckily not onto anything sharp) and bounced back.

"Don't worry, Todd, I'm coming!" called Angie as Todd got up, feeling the water weigh him down a bit from his drenched clothing as he leant forward too much to grab his revolver. He barely managed to sidestep away when the frog tried to leap at him again.

As he heard Angie splashing through the water, he widened his eyes as he saw what she was holding. **'Is that a…?'** He shook his head before he cried out in disbelief, "Why do you have a _knife_!?"

"It's my brother's toy knife, he was poking me with it too much, I took it away from him, and right now, that's all I'm going to explain because this isn't a time to talk about this!" shouted Angie quickly in frustration as she slashed it towards the nearest frog, nearly hitting it which caused it to croak in fear. "Get away from my friend!"

"That doesn't look like a toy knife!" cried Todd fearfully as the frog nearby him leapt at him again, and he thrust his revolver to its side in front of him to shove the frog back. As it landed, he took aim again, trying to hold onto his revolver as firmly as possible before he moved his finger to the trigger.

But as soon as he met its eyes, he couldn't help but notice how scared it was. Its croaking was so rapid, so weak, he just knew it was scared. He lowered his revolver slightly, feeling strange as it stared at him. **'Am I the reason its scared?'**

Suddenly he heard Angie cry out, and he heard a splash nearby. Looking promptly in her direction, he saw her flailing in the water, barely keeping her head above it as she cried out, " _Help_! Something's snagged on my overalls!"

He widened his dark blue eyes, watching as the frog nearby Angie croaked, and once again, flies started flying through the air towards her this time. He once again raised his revolver, aiming it towards the frog when something shot past his ear. Right in front of the frog fire landed and was quickly extinguished by the water, making the frog croak out in shock before its head whipped towards him. When Todd turned his head around, he choked on his breath.

Entering the water on the other side, a large white bipedal goat in a purple robe raised its paws up, with fire promptly flaring up above them and was shot towards Todd. Todd was about to duck to avoid the attack when it landed right beside him, scaring off the frog that he was occupied with. Before the goat could send the remaining fireball at the other frog, the frog quickly turned and swam back the way it came, with the other one trailing behind. For a moment Todd thought they were going to attack Winnie and Edgar, but that wasn't the case because they bounded right past them without a pause. The moment they were gone, Todd lowered his revolver, heaving out a heavy exhale. **'I'm so glad that's over…'**

As the sound of splashing from behind him alerted him, he right away raised the revolver again and aimed it towards the bipedal goat, making it stop as it stared at him in shock. He was about to bring his finger to the trigger when he heard it speak in surprise, "My child, you have nothing to fear. I will not hurt you."

His eyes widened in shock, his arm going limp as it swung his revolver down. "Y-You can _talk_!?"

"Of course I can talk," said the goat in a pleasant note, and Todd guessed it was female because its voice was higher pitched. "All of us Monsters have been talking since we were taught by our parents to speak, just like you children have."

As Todd felt his throat dry up, he suddenly turned the moment he heard Angie's harsh coughing. He moved towards her, only to cry out when something sharp came in contact with his foot again.

"Stay where you are, my child. There are spikes under the water," warned the female goat as she quickly walked in a winded route across the water, soon passing him and reaching Angie. "I am so sorry that the puzzle has put you in this horrible ordeal… I should really change it."

"What are _you_!?" shouted out Edgar in horror as he stepped in front of Winnie, shaking as the goat looked at him. "Y- _You're_ -"

"I am a Monster, and my name is Toriel," said Toriel as she leaned down, tilting her head as her paw dipped gently into the water. "I am the caretaker of the Ruins."

Todd looked at Edgar for a second, seeing his own disbelief mirrored by Edgar's expression.

As Todd looked back and watched as Toriel's arm move back and forth, Angie soon stood up and looked at the goat woman with surprise. "Th-Thank you…" said Angie breathlessly, sputtering out a few coughs afterwards.

"Oh, you are welcome," said the goat woman pleasantly as she brought her paws together. "I can not bare to watch innocent humans suffer."

Soon she looked towards Edgar and Winnie again, gesturing behind herself. "Come, I know the path across."

The moment she turned around, she started walking back towards Todd while Todd's sister and friends quickly followed her. As soon as Toriel passed him, he began to wade through the same areas she did, soon finding himself at the other side while everyone else joined him. For a few seconds he blinked, feeling a bit dazed as he thought, **'I can't believe this happened… Why did she save us?'**

"What happened to your hair, Angie!?" asked Winnie in shock.

Todd turned back to see that her hair wasn't in a ponytail anymore, instead it was wet and was loosely hanging down to her shoulders now.

All Angie did was sigh. "I think the frog stole my ribbon."

"Ah, those were not frogs," Toriel chimed in as she blinked her dark red eyes. "Those were Froggits, some of the Monsters that live in the Ruins."

"That's good to know," said Todd with a grimace. "So do all, Monsters, attack people?"

" _People_?" echoed Toriel in confusion.

"You know… _people_?" said Todd, confused about why Toriel didn't seem to know what a person was.

"Oh, do you mean, 'Humans'?" asked Toriel brightly, closing her eyes as she mused, "I have not heard that term in a long time, my child, so pardon me for not understanding it."

Edgar frowned. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"Oh, that is a relief," murmured Toriel as she brought her hand to her chest, breathing out a sigh. "I am happy that I did not offend you."

"And there's nothing to offend us for," pointed out Edgar with a sigh, shaking his head. "Anyway, why were you here?"

"I…" For a moment the white-furred goat frowned, moving her gaze away from all of them as she murmured, "I often visit the Golden Flowers... where you can see the Surface above them."

" _Surface_?" echoed Angie in confusion.

"The world above the Underground, the world where you children have come from," explained Toriel as she suddenly looked back, her face becoming concerned instantly as she noted, "But that aside, I have noticed that you children are soaked…"

Todd instantly grimaced, looking down at himself before he looked up sheepishly. "Yeah… we kind of are."

"Worry not, I can dry you off simply in a moment," said Toriel cheerfully. "If you wish for me to do so."

As the shaggy haired boy shared looks with his sister and friends, he shivered for a moment before nodding. "I think that would be great."

"Hang on a moment," said Edgar doubtfully as he took a step back. "How are you going to do that…?"

"Worry not, I shall use my fire magic to warm you children up. Nothing more, my child," she explained gently, slowly creating some flames in the middle of her cupped paws and closed her eyes. As waves of heat brushed over him, he soon felt his clothing stop sticking to his body, soon limply hanging like it did normally. As he blinked, he quickly started to smooth out his hair in order to not have it frizz up like Archie's hair.

The moment she let the fire die, she opened her eyes and smiled. "I am done, my children."

"This is pretty neat!" remarked Angie as she blinked her wide eyes, rubbing her fingers against her blue and white striped t-shirt before she stared back at Toriel. "Thank you _so_ much."

"Thank you, Miss Toriel!" chirped Winnie as she ambled over and gave Toriel a hug, causing Toriel to widen her eyes when Winnie giggled, "I feel _toasty_ _warm_ now! Hehehe~"

For a while Toriel stood frozen, shaking slightly before she stiffly moved her paw to rub the top of Winnie's head. "You are welcome, my child," she murmured gently. "I am happy to have helped you." As soon as Winnie let go of her, she frowned as she mused, "If you children are here, that could only mean you fell down…"

"Yeah..." said Edgar curtly. "My sister, Marley, made us all fall down." With a sigh, he shook his head. "And if it wasn't for Archie, we wouldn't have gone up Mount Ebott."

Toriel blankly looked at him, soon asking, "Are those Humans as well?"

"Yeah." Todd nodded. "They should have gone through here a few hours ago…"

"Oh, did one of them have a peculiar bandana?" asked Toriel brightly as her eyes lit up.

"Err… could you explain how it was peculiar?" asked Todd with a grimace.

Toriel put her paw on her chin. "It had abs drawn on it."

"That was Archie then," said Angie with a sigh of relief. "Then that must mean you saw Marley?"

"Was she dark skinned like you?" asked Toriel as she turned to Edgar.

"Yes, she was," curtly replied the black boy with a sigh, adjusting his glasses. "We may not look exactly the same, but she's sadly my twin."

Toriel slowly gave a nod at that. "I was going to approach them, but they ran away before I could come close enough."

"Oh…" Todd furrowed his eyebrows. "They did?"

"Yes, I was done helping some spiders out when they saw me and ran away," explained Toriel as she sighed. "I was going to ask them if they needed a place to stay…"

"A place to stay?" repeated Edgar suspiciously.

The white-furred goat woman nodded as she smiled. "At the end of the Ruins is my home." After a few seconds she asked, "Would you like to stay there for the time being?"

Todd could only stare at her, blinking as he shared looks with his sister and friends. It was then that Winnie chirpred, "I want to see your home! It must be as nice as you!"

Instantly Toriel's brief worried expression brightened, and she closed her eyes as she smiled. "Excellent. I will lead you to it." At once Toriel turned around, walking away.

Edgar instantly scowled at Winnie. "We don't know if we can trust her, Winnie! Why did you say that?"

The blonde lowered her gaze, sniffling as she whimpered, "I'm sorry… She seemed so nice."

"And we should be careful of her," hissed Edgar as he took out his notebook, writing in it quickly as he continued, "We have no clue who she is, and there's always a chance she could kill us when we least expect it."

"Don't be paranoid, Eddy," said Angie as she chuckled. "I kind of want to see her home myself."

"And Toriel also said her home is at the end of the Ruins!" added Todd excitedly with a nod. "Her home could be the end of this cavern!"

Everyone's faces lit up with realization, and even Edgar seemed excited as he fixed his glasses. "Yeah… You're actually right about that, Todd."

"What are we waiting for?" asked Angie merrily as she started trotting after Toriel. "Let's go!"

* * *

It must have been at least two hours or more of following Toriel that Todd spotted some sort of infrastructure. Todd guessed it must have been the home she was talking about because Toriel was heading straight towards it, turning briefly to them as she stopped beside a tree that was full of red foliage. She gave a smile as she breathed, "We have arrived, my children."

"So that's your home?" asked Winnie with surprise, blinking her wide blue eyes as she pointed past Toriel. "It's… different?"

"I understand your own homes must be different on the Surface as well," she said with a chuckle, bringing a paw to her mouth before her dark red eyes blinked. "But I believe they are not as different for what they are."

"Will there be enough room for all of us?" asked Angie as crossed her arms, tilting her head to one side as she stared at Toriel. "I mean, you did say you lived alone…"

"I will try my best to accommodate all of you," replied Toriel as she nodded, bringing her paws together as she frowned slightly. "However, I didn't expect any of you today, so I sadly had no time to prepare for your arrival. So I will do so as timely as possible."

Todd nodded, soon sharing a look with Edgar as Toriel started towards her home. At once Todd led Winnie towards the building, finding it was a structure with indents on each side and was coloured dark magenta, with piles of red leaves blanketing the base. He found it odd how there were lights inside, especially how it couldn't have been possible for the Monsters to conduct electricity underground. But Todd didn't question it; he was too tired to think about that. All he wanted to do was rest with his friends now that they were away from the other Monsters.

Upon entering, Todd couldn't be more amazed at how similar the interior looked to any home he might have been in. The beige coloured walls of the hall seemed to sprawl across the length of the home, the railing to the downstairs was huge but that made sense because Toriel was larger than them, and there were a few other decorations that Todd didn't pay attention to... He felt his eyelids briefly flutter down before he jerked himself awake, looking to where Toriel stood a foot in front of him on his left side.

"I still might have some pie left over if you're hungry." Toriel had her paws together again before she gestured behind herself. "But I can always make something for you children if you want something fresh."

At once Todd felt his sister wiggle her hand out of his, and he turned to her sharply as she squealed happily, "Can I help, Miss Toriel? I love cooking!"

Toriel smiled warmly, leaning down as she looked at Winnie. "That's wonderful. I would certainly love the help, my child."

Winnie nodded, bringing up her frying pan in the air as she giggled, looping her thin arm around Todd's. "I'm really good! My big brother likes everything I make!"

As the dark brown shaggy haired boy smiled, he met Toriel's eyes as he said truthfully, "She really is great…"

"But aren't you tired, Winnie?" asked Edgar sternly as he stared at her. "It was a pretty long walk."

Suddenly Winnie widened her eyes, shaking her head wildly before she squeaked, "I'm not tired!"

As Todd noticed Toriel's eyes flash with concern, he looked down at his sister and gently nudged her forward. "I know you're not." Winnie looked up at him, her eyes sparkled as he murmured, "Go ahead and have fun, Winnie."

With a grin, Winnie hugged him, making him try to stifle his painful grunt the best he could when her frying pan smacked his back. As she followed Toriel into the kitchen, Edgar gave him an unimpressed look.

"You were soft on her…" Edgar shook his head.

"Winnie becomes a ball of energy when cooking is involved," replied Todd gently, closing his eyes briefly as a yawn escaped his lips. "I think it's one of the things she misses most, Edgar…"

"We should rest." Angie poked him in the arm, making him jerk forward with a start. Upon hearing a soft thud, he reached down sluggishly to retrieve his hat that had fallen. When he stood up upon putting on his hat, Angie continued gently, "Especially you, Todd… We nearly got killed by those… Froggits, and I think you've run yourself ragged during the walk here."

After another yawn, Todd nodded. He couldn't deny it, all he wanted now was to lie down and sleep…

Edgar sighed. "But she didn't tell us where."

"Oh, I'll go and check-" Todd was stopped by Angie, who gave him a stern look.

"No, Todd, you stay here and I'll go check." The brown haired girl briskly walked over in the direction that he saw Winnie go with Toriel, soon disappearing around a corner before Todd could stop another of his yawns.

* * *

It was five minutes later when Angie trotted back, holding up a key that looked quite old as she halted in front of him and Edgar. "She said we could unlock the closest room and use it." Soon her expression fell when she muttered, "Except there's one problem… one bed."

At once Edgar frowned, fixing his glasses as he mused, "And I assume you don't want to share a room with us guys, right, Angie?"

With a nod, the girl with overalls sighed, putting her available hand on her hip. "No, no I don't." She briefly nibbled at her lip before she grimaced. "I can only guess she doesn't normally have company here."

"Exactly." The dark skinned boy gave a look to Todd as he slowly blinked back. "I mean, she took us in without reserve, which can only mean she's lonesome. And if we stay here long, she might get attached."

"We're not pets, Edgar," Todd pointed out sleepily, feeling his head sag down a bit before he jerked it up. "I'm pretty sure she's just happy to have visitors."

"Which can lead to her getting attached us." The black haired boy padded towards the hall to the right, holding his notebook firmly as he continued, "So right now, we can only stay for a short while, and the first thing we need to do is sleep."

Angie sighed. "And what do _you_ propose we do, Eddy? We shouldn't sleep in the same room."

Edgar stopped right at the corner, turning his head slightly. "Let's see how big the bed is before we decide that."

The brown haired girl huffed, shaking her head before she put her hand on Todd's shoulder. "C'mon, Todd. We should get this over with, and get you some sleep."

Todd sighed, nodding as he walked forward, feeling his body protest from the effort. But he went on, trying his best to not fall asleep when they entered the hall, soon reaching the first door that Edgar stood in front of.

"I have to wonder why she locked it," mused Edgar thoughtfully as Angie slid the key into the hole, taking a while to turn it as he put in, "Normally bedrooms aren't locked…"

"Well, she must have her reasons," Todd responded in a yawn, stepping in after Angie as she went through. As soon as he entered, Todd knew something seemed off.

There was a small bed, small enough for a child; a closet with its door slightly ajar, and from a glance Todd saw one small green jacket peeking out; and there was a single drawing of a flower that was eerily similar to the ones he fell onto with his friends and sister the night before.

"Indeed." As Edgar came in, he went straight to the bed. "This looks too small for us."

"Yeah… it does," agreed Angie with a sigh, putting a hand on her cheek as she grimaced. "So, is it girls or boys who have dibs on the bed?"

For a moment, Edgar gave a look to Todd before the shaggy haired boy sighed. "I don't think Winnie would like to sleep somewhere other than a bed. Plus, it would be mean to take it from her."

Instantly Edgar rolled his eyes. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"Well, I know my little sister," replied Todd wearily. "She wouldn't want to sleep on the floor, even if there's a mattress."

"Okay, so… do we girls get the room?" Angie raised an eyebrow as she took a seat on the bed. "Or should we have a thumb war over who get dibs?"

"You can have it," said Edgar unimpressed, giving a sigh.

Todd knew that Angie was very good at thumb war. Every time she did it with Edgar, she always won, only breaking his thumb the last time that they did it. So Todd knew Edgar wouldn't be so keen on having another round with her anytime soon…

With a nod, Todd took a seat beside Angie. She took a look at him for a while before she smiled. "Well, I'm sure Winnie will be pleased."

"Yeah…" Todd closed his eyes for a few seconds before blinking. "But where will we sleep?"

"I don't know, but maybe Toriel will let the both of you rough it out on that big chair she has in her living room?" suggested Angie with a shrug, pushing her hand into her large overall pocket before freezing. For a few seconds she moved her hand back and forth in the pocket before Todd heard her mutter, "No… this can't be happening-"

"What's wrong?" Todd asked in confusion as she stood up suddenly.

"You know how I took away my little brother's toy knife?" asked Angie in frustration, earning a nod from Todd while Edgar stared at her blankly. She instantly kicked at the floor before she huffed, "I _just_ found out my overall pocket has a hole, which was probably _made_ when my overalls got _snagged_ on that _underwater_ _spike_ , and my little brother's toy knife is _not_ there!"

Todd widened his dark blue eyes. "You can't be serious-"

" _Oh_ I am _so_ serious, Todd," groaned Angie as she shoved her face into her hands, flopping down onto the bed. "My little brother is going to throw the worst fit in existence if I don't find his toy knife…"

"Just don't," replied Edgar with a sigh, crossing his arms. "We shouldn't go out when it's dangerous."

Angie shot him a look. "You don't know what it's like living with my little brother, Edgar. He will literally make your life horrible if you lose his favorite toy, and I just did that!"

"Okay, chill." The glasses wearing boy sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe we could ask that monster lady if she could go fetch it…"

"Why do that when I could do it myself?" asked Angie crossly, crossing her arms as she took in a deep breath.

"You mean, 'we' and 'ourselves', right?" asked Todd sleepily, feeling his eyes close again. Right now his thoughts were starting to go fuzzy and slowed down.

"…Yeah, us..."

That was the last thing Todd heard before he fell asleep.

* * *

It was after a very interesting dinner (the food they ate, that is) that Todd and Edgar were waiting for Toriel to prepare her own room for them to sleep in, who said that they shouldn't have to sleep without comfort like Angie and Winnie. Todd thought the gesture was nice, but he did feel bad the Monster was going to have to sleep in her rocking chair for the night. In a way, he didn't like cheating her out of her own bed, but he didn't dwell on it because he was very tired. So as soon as she was done, the two of them went straight to bed. However, the next morning came all too soon for Todd.

The moment he woke up, he sat up and blearily made out his surroundings. He was somewhat disorientated by the fact that he wasn't in his own room (yet again), taking a few seconds to remember where he was before he sighed.

Todd closed his eyes as he shook his head. **'We can't stay here.'**

As nice as it was that Toriel offered to let them stay here, he couldn't help but be homesick. He licked his lips, wanting to smell his mother's and Winnie's pancakes that were being fried downstairs; he wanted to be able to see his father and mother off as they left for work, wishing them good luck… Almost all of those memories of his home became vivid at once, and it became painful when it set in that he wasn't there. He was in the Underground; he was in Toriel's home. He knew this wasn't home, and this would never become his home. It didn't feel right at all to him, and he knew they had to leave sometime soon…

He retrieved his cowboy hat from where he left it on Toriel's desk, soon slipping on his sneakers before he silently departed from the room. For a moment he was surprised by how the lights in the hallway were still on, but then he told himself Toriel must have been awake as he walked forward, treading across it towards the living room.

Toriel was sitting in her large chair, absorbed in the worn blue book she was reading as Todd entered the room. When he was nearly in front of her, she looked up, blinking her dark red eyes as she murmured with a smile, "Good morning, my child. I see that you are up."

"Good morning, Toriel," he greeted with a nod, standing for a few seconds before he sighed. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

As the large white-furred Monster put down her book, shedding her reading glasses, she nodded as she stared at him attentively. "Of course you can, my child. What would you like to talk about?"

Todd inhaled, recollecting his thoughts before he nervously began, "I know how you want to make sure we have a place to stay, but I know that we can't live here."

At once Toriel's expression fell, her gaze lowered before she quietly spoke, "I see."

"It's not that we don't like it here," continued Todd quickly as he came over, putting a hand on her paw as she continued to look down. "And we're so grateful for what you have done for us… but we all have our own homes to return to… on the Surface." He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet as he sighed. "Our own parents must be worried about us, and I don't like the idea of keeping them upset that they don't know where we've gone." He trembled for a moment before he couldn't take it anymore, choking the rest out, "A-And… I-I miss them _so_ much… I-I _want_ to see them again!"

For a while Toriel was silent, and that Todd feel a lot worse that he was making her feel bad that he didn't want to be there. But then he felt something rest on his cheek suddenly, making him whip his head up in surprise to find her smiling. "Do not be upset, my child... I understand. I do not want to steal you away from your parents by keeping you here." As he breathed in sharply, she added gently, "You do not have to worry about me."

After a few heartbeats of staring at her numbly, Todd slowly relaxed, calming down as happiness swelled in his heart. But soon Toriel spoke, catching him off guard when her soothing tone twisted into a crestfallen one, "But I must warn you, my child, of the dangers that you, your sister, and friends will be in if you do leave the Ruins."

"D-Danger?" he echoed uneasily, meeting her sad dark red eyes as he asked, "I-I already thought the Monsters that attacked us were dangerous enough?"

"No, they should not be the ones you should be worried about," she replied, narrowing her eyes as she explained seriously, "You need to be careful of the Royal Guards and…" Upon tapering off her speech, her dark red eyes slowly became slits right before she finished, " _King_ _Asgore_."

"But _why_?" he asked nervously as he felt a sudden chill go down his spine. The way she said that name made him feel intimidated for some reason.

"Our ruler of the Underground, King Asgore, has declared war against Humans. He will strike down any that come his way," she replied grimly as she tightened her hold on his hand, frowning deeply when she saw him stare at her in dismay before she closed her eyes tightly. "He has enlisted his Royal Guards to kill any Humans they come across, even if they do not intend to kill Monsters." After inhaling shakily, she quietly put in, "A lot of Monsters in the Underground are still furious about Humans after their families were killed by them, and being trapped down here forever by their magic."

At once Todd frowned, sliding his hand out of Toriel's as he edged away. Upon gazing at her solemn face, he shook his head distraughtly. "H-Humans killed Monsters? Th-That's… horrible…"

"I was there at the time, and I did not like what had happened," continued Toriel glumly. "We used to be on good terms with Humans, but then a tragedy occurred one day between some Human and Monster children. Two of the children, a Monster and a Human, got into an argument… Their barbed words became fists raised against each other, and the Monster child took the Human child's life. The Human child's parents were distraught, and attacked the Monster child's family out of grief and rage, and that soon triggered the war between Humans and Monsters decades ago."

The dark brown haired boy looked down, his chest felt heavy suddenly as he thought over the information. He couldn't believe that happened, he couldn't believe something that tragic caused the Monsters to be trapped Underground. He couldn't believe Humans did that to them. The Monsters didn't deserve to be trapped down here… no one did.

For a while they shared silence between each other, then Toriel soon inhaled shakily. "Now King Asgore has decided to bring about a new one after what had happened in the Underground a few months ago." She clenched her paw, which was resting on her book, into a trembling fist. "I can not stand the idea of innocent children, such as yourselves, being killed by _Asgore_... I had thought that if you children stayed here, then maybe you would not have to face him if you were under my protection…"

"But why wouldn't he attack us here?" Todd asked seriously, frowning as he heard her breath hitch. "If he's the ruler, can't he go anywhere he wants?"

Her gaze lowered as she breathed sternly, "He will _never_ come back to the Ruins, not if _I am_ here."

Todd was about to ask about what she meant when he heard footsteps. Upon turning around, he saw Edgar leading Winnie into the room, and Todd instantly felt alarmed the moment he saw Winnie was crying. He dashed straight towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder as he asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Winnie?"

The seven-year-old let out a sob, instantly throwing her arms around him and pushing all of his oxygen out of his body. She cried loudly as he stared down at her, not replying as he repeated the question, "What's wrong, Winnie?"

"Did you see Angie this morning?" asked Edgar seriously, apparently deciding to answer instead of Todd's sister, as he frowned. "Apparently Winnie woke up to find that Angie was gone and got scared."

Todd instantly wrapped his arms around his sister, rubbing her back as Toriel joined them. "I have not seen her, I have only stayed in the living room since I woke up," she said with concern. "I assumed she was still in bed from when I checked up on you children during the night."

Edgar suddenly met Todd's gaze. "You don't think she went outside?"

"There's no reason for her go outside, Edgar," said Todd uneasily as he shook. "What possible reason does she need to go outside for?"

"If you have forgotten, there _is_ one," responded Edgar curtly, frowning deeply as he put in worriedly, "Remember that she was so worried about how she lost her brother's toy knife."

Instantly Todd's blood went cold. **'She… couldn't have…'** He stiffened as his sister cried louder. **'She couldn't have gone outside!'**

Toriel at once started to run, alarming all of them as she called out sharply, "Stay here, my children, I will find her!"

As soon as the sound of the front door slamming rang through the house, Edgar let out a sigh as he shook his head. "That was abrupt…"

"She must be as worried as we are," said Todd worriedly as he held his sister closer.

"But she's only known her… _us_ , for roughly half a day," Edgar pointed out seriously as he crossed his arms. "I find her behavior creepy if you ask me."

Todd was about to say something regarding that, but then he stopped himself. He remembered what Toriel had said earlier about not letting innocent Humans die, so he could only assume she must have cared about them deeply, even when the war between Humans and Monsters happened… even when she had known them for less than a day. For a moment, he juggled around the idea of telling Edgar about this, then he stopped himself. He didn't know why, but he had a sense that he shouldn't repeat the information for now, not when Angie was missing…

It would make the situation worse.

The dark brown haired boy closed his eyes, not replying to Edgar's statement. All he did was rub Winnie's back, whispering words to comfort her, all the while desperately hoping that Angie wasn't dead.

* * *

It was a long time before Todd heard a door creak open, and he looked towards the hallway from the table he and Winnie were sitting at. Toriel walked into the room with Angie nestled in her arms, who wasn't moving. At once Todd stood up, heading straight towards Toriel as he cried out in alarm, "Angie!" As soon as he reached the goat woman, he looked up at her as he asked worriedly, "What happened to her, Toriel!?"

"I found her barely awake nearby the overlook of our old city," explained Toriel as she walked past Todd, leaning over to rest Angie down on her large chair. "Some miserable creatures were about to take her life…"

"That's _awful_!" squeaked Winnie shrilly as she covered her mouth. "Why would they do _that!_?"

"I can only assume they saw her as a threat," replied the white-furred goat woman sternly as she straightened, turning around with a sigh. "It did not take long for me to scare them away."

"But then why did it take you so long to come back?" asked Edgar as he put the book he had been reading before Toriel returned back on Toriel's bookshelf.

"Her wounds were great, and my ability to heal her took longer because of that," explained Toriel as she gathered her paws together, dipping her head. "One of the Monsters got away with a strange looking knife for some reason, and I can not fathom why they had it."

"That was the toy knife she was looking for!" cried out Todd, soon explaining when Toriel gave him a blank look, "It's… it's a fake knife, not a real one! It's for playing with, not fighting."

"Ah, I might understand why they attacked her then," replied Toriel sadly. "Ever since we have been trapped down here, Monsters have been wary of any weapons that Humans hold. In a way, the Monsters attack so that the Humans do not attack them first."

The memory of when the Froggits attacked them flashed through his mind at once. The Froggits that attacked him earlier must have only did it because they knew he had a weapon, and they thought Angie did as well…

"So you're saying that they might have thought Angie was going to kill them then?" asked Todd aghast, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

"Yes, I do believe that's the reason, my child," breathed Toriel sadly, starting to amble towards the hallway. "I am going to fetch a few blankets for her, my children. I will be back soon."

He could only stare wide-eyed at her until she was out of sight before he lowered his head, shaking as he thought agitatedly, **'That's why the Froggits were scared of me! They thought I was going to kill them so they attacked us!'** At once Todd closed his dark blue eyes tightly, clenching his hands into fists as he felt heat behind his eyes. **'That's it, we're _never_ going to be safe here! Toriel can't protect us! We need to go home! We can't stay here anymore, we _need_ to leave!'**

Instantly Todd turned to Edgar and met the boy's eyes, fighting the urge to cry. "We should leave."

"But we got here yesterday!" protested Winnie shrilly. "And Miss Toriel is looking after us!"

"That doesn't _matter_!" snapped Todd angrily, breathing heavily as he yelled with fraught, "Toriel's _home_ isn't our _home_ , _Winnie_! We _need_ to go back _home_!"

As he watched regretfully as his sister's eyes spilled out tears, and Todd could only close his eyes as he let himself cry, trying to pretend he didn't do that. He felt terrible for snapping at his sister, even making her burst into tears... but he couldn't help it! All he did was try to pretend that he wasn't standing here, he tried to will away the reality that he was in. He could only hope this was all but a bad dream, only it would seem as though the wish would never come true. He was in a Monster's house for less than a day; he was in a cavern for less than 2 days; he yelled at his best friend and sister; he was homesick; he just couldn't take it anymore!

There was no way he could stay here; this place was too dangerous to be home.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! =3**

 **...**

 **EeveeGen9988: "Hi everyone! As you can see… *she** **sweat drops* I wrote a long chapter (as always…)… and it took a long time to edit. I couldn't take out any of the scenes to make it shorter, but they sort of had to happen! *falls over from exhaustion* I've never written something this long in ages… *she gets up after a minute* But anyway, this story will be a five part story! And I'm pretty sure the next chapter won't be as long as this one… *grins sheepishly* _hopefully_...**

 **It felt nice writing again, seeing how I haven't had much time in the past few months to write… So I might be a _bit_ rusty with writing, but it sure was refreshing! I wanted to do this story for a long time, and I'm excited that I'm finally writing it! *blasts a lot of confetti in the air* Yay!**

 **Well, see you guys in the next two weeks for the next part! =D**

 ***EeveeGen9988 watches as** **confetti rains down on her, grimacing as she realizes blasting a lot of confetti in the air wasn't a good idea because she's the one that has to clean it up, so with a sigh, she throws the broom to the side and goes to find a vacuum*"**

 **...**

 **Fun facts!**

 **\- Edgar's original name was going to be Booker, although it sounded cheesy to me so I looked for a better name! When I started writing I wanted to change Edgar's name to Raymond, but then I decided that Edgar fit the best.**

 **\- Of all the 6 Humans, deciding on Marley's name took the longest!**

 **\- Angie was originally going to be called Chloe, Marley, or Lucy…**

 **\- Todd's and Archie's name didn't change like most of the characters.**

 **\- The scene where the group splits up turned out differently than I thought it would! O_O**

 **\- The original name of the story was going to be** _ **Our Hearts Beat As One**_ **, but then I wanted something that portrayed the story better so I chose** _ **The Fallen Children**_ **… which morphed into** _ **The Fallen**_ **after a while, which sounds a bit cooler if you ask me.**

 **\- I got the idea for this story near the end of August 2016… Wow, it's been almost four and a half months since then!**


	2. The Frosty Forest:

**The Fallen:**

 **I do not own Undertale, Toby Fox does!**

 **This story is written for [Shibuya Operation Story Storm].**

 **…**

 **Part 2: The Frosty Forest:**

* * *

Todd kept his pace steady as he followed after Toriel; adjusting the buckle on the satchel she gave him earlier. His friends followed behind him while his sister held onto his hand, not looking at him as they slowly neared a huge ajar door in a compact room that Toriel stopped in. Todd could only guess that Archie and Marley got through already.

"This is the end of the Ruins, my children," murmured Toriel as she stared at the door, not moving as she went on, "From here on, you must be careful. You should be wary of any Monster you meet, for any of them could be a part of the Royal Guard..."

"Why can't you tell us which ones are members?" asked Edgar curtly as he adjusted the dark grey coat he had, keeping a wary look on his face as he stared at the goat woman.

Toriel simply lowered her head. "I have not left the Ruins for months... and I only know of how King Asgore has created the Royal Guard to kill you children."

Todd nodded. "We'll keep an eye out for them."

As Toriel turned around, she smiled. "I do not know what has changed since I left, but I know you children will be able to tackle the challenges ahead together."

Before Toriel could walk over to the door, Winnie shot from Todd's side and hugged Toriel. For a moment the Monster froze, soon relaxing as Winnie squeaked, "We'll miss you, Miss Toriel! Thank you for letting us stay at your house!"

"You are welcome, my child," Toriel replied quietly, "and I will miss all of you..."

When the small blonde let go of Toriel, Todd came over and put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "And we won't forget your generosity."

Toriel nodded, soon heaving the door open more. The moment it gaped before them, Edgar and Angie went through right away while Todd gently grabbed onto Winnie's hand and led her forward. As he walked, he noticed how sad Winnie was as she looked back at Toriel who was closing the door now. The moment it was closed, hearing his sister give a sniffle, he couldn't help but frown. He wished Winnie wouldn't be so sad, but he knew that Winnie had taken a shine to Toriel so quickly. It would take a while for her to get over the fact that they couldn't stay here…

Before long they reached an archway at the end of a long hallway that opened automatically, and they all met nothing but a torrent of cold. Todd heard Winnie gasp in surprise before the wind died down, leaving them staring at a field of snow that stretched far ahead of them.

"I can see why she gave us coats and boots," grumbled Edgar as he stepped down onto the snow, making crunches as he took a few more before he turned to gaze at them. He adjusted his glasses deftly. "Hopefully she packed some matches for us."

"She uses fire magic, so I doubt it," said Angie with a grimace, puffing out a cloud of mist when she sighed. "I don't think Monsters would need to use them."

"Yes, that would make sense," said Edgar, unimpressed.

As Todd walked out onto the snow, he noticed how they were flanked by nothing but dark trees that stretched high above them. He wondered how trees could grow in a environment such as this one, seeing how the sun didn't seem to reach them from this far down...

He looked to his sister, surprised she wasn't squealing with happiness like she normally did when she saw snow. Instead she seemed a little more subdued, making him frown. She must have been upset with him still after he yelled at her, and he didn't blame her for that. There was never a time when he yelled at her, so it must have been bothering her as much as him…

"Hey, Todd, do you think we'll have enough food for now?" asked the brown haired girl as she glanced at him.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we will," said Todd with a shrug, soon smiling when he added proudly, "Winnie made a lot of Spindlesnap cookies with Toriel last night, so we have plenty."

It was a strange cookie, to the very least. Apparently it was a cookie that was a mixture of pumpkin and gingerbread… the very idea of the combination was unappealing… But he couldn't quite complain, his sister made the cookies, so he didn't want to upset her by not eating her cookies at some point.

"And how are we supposed to live off of cookies alone?" asked Edgar with disgruntlement as he started walking forward, prompting everyone to follow him as he mused, "If you must know, it will harm our health with all that sugar…"

"Miss Toriel said stuff about food having different propur-" Winnie stopped, screwing up her face before she soon cried out with a beam, "Properties down here!"

"Hmm, different properties?" echoed Edgar as he continued forward, not faltering in his steps as he mused, unimpressed, "I can hardly believe that."

"But Toriel said so!" protested Winnie as she clenched Todd's hand, making him grimace slightly from the pain. "She said stuff about hunger and healing you!"

"How could food heal you?" questioned the tall boy as he started to cross a bridge, reaching the other side and turning to them. As Angie went across, Edgar sighed. "That's hardly believable, Winnie."

"But Toriel said so!" protested Winnie again, her face reddening suddenly and Todd heard her sniffle. "She _did_!"

"I'm pretty sure things are different down here than where we come from," said Todd aloud as he started to cross the bridge with Winnie, making sure he kept a firm grip on her hand to make sure she didn't fall off of it. He knew Winnie wasn't happy about how Edgar didn't believe her, but he knew that things had to be different for Monsters. After all, the Underground wasn't exactly the same as it was on the Surface.

After they met up with the others on the other side, they continued on, soon reaching a crossroad. Todd could tell that going north wasn't an option due to the water he could spot from afar, so the only way they could go was forward again. But as they reached a small shed a little further on, he heard a hissing sound. For a moment he stopped, looking around before he heard something quietly being hissed.

" _Todd_ …"

Widening his eyes, he looked around again in confusion, blinking as he turned to Edgar and spoke in a hush, "Edgar, I think I heard something call my name."

The taller boy raised an eyebrow, soon hardening his eyes as he whispered back, "Are you sure you're not hearing things?"

"I'm pretty sure, Edgar, but I think I'll go check it out," said Todd, letting go of his sister's hand and glanced at her. As she looked at him sadly, he murmured gently, "Stay with Edgar and Angie, I'm going to be back in a minute."

All Winnie did was lower her head, not looking him in the eye. Right away Todd felt hurt, he wasn't used to Winnie treating him this way before. He tried to pretend that didn't upset him, keeping his shoulders from slumping as he turned away to slowly inch forward.

He strained his ears for the thing he heard, wondering if he was hearing things when he heard it again. This time, he stopped to look at the little hut, blinking before he started to approach it. When he stood right at the counter, something whipped up without warning. " _Todd_!"

" _Gah_!" Todd cried out, jumping up before he slowly lowered his arms that he whipped above his head from shock. When he looked into the hut, he relaxed as he sighed in relief. "Archie…"

Standing in the shack was Archie; except he looked worse than the last time they saw each other. He seemed more frazzled than he normally did, his hair was disheveled, and all he did at the moment was shiver. As soon as Archie grinned at him, the orange haired boy patted him hard on the shoulder as he exclaimed, "B-Boy am I glad to see ya, Todd! I-I didn't think you'd come out here, since, y'know, you seemed so set on stayin' in the place we left!"

"But why are you in the hut?" asked Todd slowly.

"W-We're in the hut because animals keep trying to kill us!" hissed Archie before he grabbed Todd's shoulders, making the dark brown haired boy yelp when he was heaved over the counter and into the shed. The moment he landed on his butt, he groaned before he heard Archie speak in a hush, "We would have come back for you guys, but those animals wouldn't leave us alone!"

"You didn't kill them, did you?" asked Todd nervously as he noticed how Marley was also here, yet all she did was hug herself as she madly shivered. It was sort of strange not seeing her in a bad mood for once…

"Of course not, we ran like heck!" hissed Archie before he shook. "Who'd ever think fighting those animals are a good idea!? They're _not_ normal!"

"I know they're not, they're Monsters," replied Todd blankly.

The brown-eyed boy grimaced. "Yeah, that's a better way to call 'em."

"No really, they're known as Monsters." As the bushy haired boy stared at his best friend, he went on, "We met this one Monster called Toriel who told us how we're stuck in a place called the Underground!"

"Whoop-de-doo… wh-what else could they call it?" hissed Marley with a chatter of her bright teeth, shaking as she rolled her eyes. "I-I can't believe you're making things up at a time like this, T-T-Todd!"

"But I'm not!" he protested before Marley hmphed at that. "Ask Edgar, he'll tell you the same thing!"

"Edgar's here!?" shouted Archie, shooting up to his feet at once and whipping his head out from the hut. "Hey, it's everyone!"

Todd got up as he heard approaching footsteps, standing behind Archie as Edgar came up and looked inside. Upon meeting his gaze, the taller boy sighed. "Of course… who else would be hiding in a shed?"

"Sh-Shut up, Edgar!" hissed Marley as she slowly got to her feet, shivering madly as she snorted, "I-It's not like we had much of a choice!"

"And why's that?" asked her brother, raising an eyebrow boredly.

"Creatures keep trying to kill us!" spat Marley as she jabbed a finger in his direction. "Or are you _blind_!?"

"Calm down, screeching like that will draw more Monsters towards us!" hissed Edgar as he glared at his sister. "Just be quiet, and listen to us for a few minutes. We found out some useful information about this place while you guys were gone."

With a huff, she shook her head before Archie asked incredulously, "You did!?"

"If you hadn't been fleeing from every threat, you would have learned about them," added Angie with a blink of her green eyes.

"W-We didn't run away!" protested Todd's best friend indignantly, shaking as he shouted, "We just made some distance between 'em and us so they wouldn't kill us!"

Edgar gave out a sigh. "That's basically the same thing…"

"No it's not!" Archie clenched his gloved hands. "It's strategy!"

"You don't normally make strategies, you run into anything that presents itself before you," mused the black boy as he stared at them, looking thoroughly unconvinced by that.

After a long pause, Archie lowered his head. "Guys… I'm trying out strategy."

Angie gave out a snort of laughter. "Wow… I would have never expected that from you."

"Hey, come on, guys," said Todd as he moved up to stand beside his best friend, gesturing to Archie as he went on, "Why can't we focus on the fact that we're all together again?"

"Yeah, Todd's right!" piped Archie as he plopped his gloved hand on Todd's shoulder, making Todd grimace from the force that was delivered to his shoulder blade. "Everyone's together, so let's be happy and get this show on the road!"

"But there's a problem." Todd turned back to the orange haired boy, frowning as he explained, "We're in danger."

"Wow, we couldn't have known that!" Marley whined out rudely. "With the creatures that have already tried to kill us, it's not so obvious!"

"Could you take a moment and listen to what Todd has to say," cut in Edgar curtly as he crossed his grey-sleeved arms, shaking his head as he scowled. "This is serious."

When Marley decided to not reply to that (surprisingly), Todd gave out a sigh before he went on, "There's these Monsters that are in a group called the Royal Guard, and all they do is hunt and kill Humans."

As Archie turned to him, his brown eyes wide with horror, Todd inhaled shakily before he closed his eyes. "We need to be careful for now on. We shouldn't split up anymore, just so that we can all look out for each other. If we don't…" He exhaled with a shake of his head. "We could all be killed."

"Wait, so does that mean all these… monsters… are all a part of the Royal Guard?" asked Archie in confusion, and at once Angie and Edgar audibly groaned at that.

"Not exactly, it's an elite band of Monsters that patrol around the Underground. I don't think every Monster is a part of it, nor is expected to search for Hu-" Edgar stopped, grimacing as he finished flatly, "Us."

The thick haired boy saw Archie scratch his chin, frowning as he seemed to be pondering about the information. Soon he grinned, giving out a laugh as he chirped, "We should just avoid 'em, then everything will be alright!"

"But we can't!" sternly hissed Todd as he narrowed his dark blue eyes. "They're probably everywhere- and there's no way we can pass by them without being seen."

"Oh…" Archie grimaced at that. "Well, at least we can try!"

"Archie, we should try our best to, but Todd's right," said Angie sadly, crossing her arms as she sighed. "This is the Monsters' home- their home turf. We're the visitors who don't have all the knowledge of what's around every corner, so this won't be a walk out of the park for us."

Marley sneezed, and Todd turned to see her clench her arms around her abdomen as she clattered her teeth. "W-We kind of noticed that, A-Angie!"

"Yeah, well, I'm just trying to lay out the stakes here," grumbled Angie as she brushed some of her hair out of her face, soon blinking at them as she asked, "Anyway, when are you guys going to get out of that shack?"

With a grin, Archie vaulted over the counter, prompting everyone to scramble back to not become a landing pad for him.

As Todd watched as Marley shakily walked over, he turned to see that there was a backdoor that had a latch. He put stretched his arm across Marley, stopping and making her scowl at him as he pointed to the exit. "We might as well use the door?"

Marley opened her mouth, soon closing it grimly before she held up her head sharply, snorting out as she turned and went straight towards it. "I know, it's not like I was _going_ to jump out of here like Archie did."

"You're a ballerina, Marley!" shouted Archie as he swung around to look into the shack. "Why not?"

"Only idiots would jump out of here," came Marley's reply as she opened the door, strutting out as her shoes squished at her every step. "For all I know, ice could be hidden under the snow."

With a shrug to Archie, Todd followed her out, shutting the door carefully before he joined everyone. At once Archie seemed to take the lead, silently assigning himself to the task… like he always did. Almost everything Todd did with his friends, Archie would be in charge; he was always their leader… Although, Archie did say that Todd was the second in command, but Todd could only understand that their strong friendship came into play for that. Yet… despite the many times that Archie did this, Todd felt a bit uneasy this time. He couldn't help but wonder if Archie and Marley only got to this place so far, and if that was true, Archie once again could be leading them into the unknown…

 _"If he keeps racing off, or pushes us forward... he could land us in danger. …Or worse, we could all get injured."_ Todd couldn't help but grimace from what Angie had said earlier as they climbed the mountain.

Quickening his steps, Todd came into Archie's pace, flanking his best friend at the head of the group, keeping his gaze forward. As much as he wanted to trust his friend, the fact that they all ended up here still struck a bad cord with Todd. The time that he shouted at his best friend made him feel even worse, because it was true; Archie was the one who brought them here, even if it was unintentional that they ventured into more than they thought they would… All of these bad feelings stirred in him, and Todd hoped they wouldn't end up in more trouble than they had been.

As they came across another crossroad, Todd could spot something from the distance. He froze, instantly grabbing his friend's arm and made Archie squawk out, "What the-"

"I see a Monster coming!" hissed Todd as he desperately skimmed the area, soon locating a path to his left that he nudged his friend towards. "We have to hide!"

At once Archie's surprised gaze transformed into an alarmed one, and he instantly turned around and half-shouted to everyone else, "This way! Quick!"

"Wait, you can't be seri-"

"Edgar, now's not the time to question this!" said Todd quickly. "A Monster's coming!"

Todd went straight for his sister, grabbing her hand as he pulled her along quickly. He ignored her yelp, hoping she wouldn't trip from the speed he was going at as they all went towards the path he saw seconds ago. He heard footsteps, and he knew whatever was coming, it must have been heavy… and he might have heard something that sounded like clanging metal. But that didn't make him as alarmed when he found that the path ended abruptly at a river, its dark current sloshing moderately as they all stopped.

"Wow, it's the river, _again_ ," hissed Marley as she shook her head. "Seriously, who's idea was it for us to go here?"

"I didn't know there was a river!" countered Todd in dismay as he gawked at it.

"Uh, didn't you notice it when we passed through the first branch of paths?" asked Edgar flatly as he crossed his arms. "I was trying to tell you that."

"There's no time to argue, _hide_!" Angie instantly ran for the trees, making Todd stare at her in disbelief as she disappeared the moment she passed through the pine needles.

"Well, that's a better idea than what _you_ came up with, Todd," said Edgar as he went towards the trees also, soon having Marley dash after him through an awkward tread. For a second Todd shared a look with Archie, watching as Archie gave a shrug before they both went for the trees as well.

The moment he passed through the pine trees, he let go of his sister's hand before he crouched down, looking through the masses of pine needles the best he could. He noticed how his sister trembled beside him, her eyes looking watery as she breathed shakily. At once he took ahold of her hand, feeling her shaking cease as he continued to silently watch from where he was.

Once again the footsteps sounded, heavier this time, louder as Todd spotted a figure lumber out towards the river. For a moment he held his breath, shocked at the size of the being that stood beside the river. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew for certain its size must have measured exactly to its strength.

It then occurred to him that they might have left some footprints…

 **'Please oh please don't notice them!'** he prayed desperately as he bit down on his lower lip hard, breathing shakily. **'Don't notice them, don't notice them-'**

For a few moments the figure stood stationary, silent, then it turned and plodded back the way it came. The moment the footsteps faded away was when Todd heaved out a sigh of relief, relaxing as he turned to his sister who didn't exactly share the same sentiments as him.

"Looks like it's clear," whispered Archie warily as he crept forward, leaving the coniferous trees and Todd cautiously followed him, not letting Winnie go as he did the same. As he joined his friend, who stood near the edge of the clearing, he could only stare down at the large footprints that sank deeply into the snow when Archie exclaimed in amazement, " _Whoa_! That thing must have weighed anvils!"

"Well, you might be right for once," noted Edgar as he leaned down upon coming up to them, tracing his hand in the groove before he adjusted his glasses. "These are not normal footprints…"

"Uh, yeah, you would think animals' are different than ours, Edgar!" spat Marley as she huffed.

"Monsters. They're known as Monsters, Marley," said her brother flatly, earning an eye roll from her. "They have qualities of animals, but they're a different species completely."

"Ugh, why can't you stick out your facts to someone who wants to hear them?" asked Marley in a growl, looking away as she huffed again, "We all know that they're not normal, so don't brag about it!"

"Then please use the proper terminology for them." With that, Edgar pulled out his notebook and started jotting in it.

As Edgar continued to concentrate on his writing, Todd let go of Winnie's hand and looked down at her. Upon seeing her anxious face, he asked gently, "Are you okay, Winnie?"

Winnie only nodded, her cheerfulness seemed to still be dulled and that made his heart sting a little. When he saw that Archie was staring at him, he quickly blinked as the orange haired boy frowned at him in confusion. Todd realized that the strain between him and Winnie wasn't unnoticed, and that made him feel somewhat more guilty that he caused it. He simply smiled at his friend, soon murmuring, "I'm glad we got away from that Monster."

"Yeah…" Angie gave a nod, soon smiling as she looked back from where they came. "For a second I thought that Monster was going to find us."

"Luckily you came up with hiding in the trees," said Edgar, surprising Todd from how pleased he sounded for once. "That was a sound idea, Angie. It saved us."

"Nah, it was just instinct." As the brown haired girl rubbed the back of her neck, she blushed slightly as she laughed nervously, "I seriously didn't think that it would have worked, just… I was hoping that it wouldn't look for us when we actually hid there."

Instantly Edgar frowned, furrowing his eyebrows as his voice dropped. "I see…"

Within seconds the clearing took on a silence, one that Todd felt uncomfortable in. Upon looking at everyone's faces, he knew it was going to be hard for anyone to not be bothered by the fact that they nearly encountered a Monster… And for all they knew, it could have been the one that killed them.

"…So, what should we do now?" asked Todd after a while, his voice crisp and clear from how quiet it was.

It was a second later when Angie turned to him. "We should wait."

" _Ugh_ , not this again!" spat Marley as she scowled at the girl, marching up to her as she shook. "All you want to do is _nothing_!"

"It's _not_ nothing!" Angie turned back, her green eyes sharp as she tilted her head to meet the taller girl's brown eyes. "If that Monster went the way we came- and if _we_ went out now- it could see us and attack us!" Before Marley could speak, Angie cut her off as she went on fiercely, "And if it didn't- then we'll be following its footsteps! When it realizes we're following it- it will turn back and attack us!" After that, she crossed her arms. "We _need_ to wait it out."

"So what you're saying is we're sitting ducks!?" screamed the black girl as she clenched her fists. "Why should we wait then!?"

"If we wait long enough…" Angie turned to Archie as she gave him a smile. "Then we'll create enough distance between it and us."

"Hey! That's what I said!" piped Archie as he clenched his fists, doing a fist pump as Todd could tell he was shining with pride. "I knew my strategy would work!"

"Ho boy…" Edgar placed his hand over his face, shaking his head as he groaned, "Don't give him false encouragement, Angie."

"What do ya mean by that, Edgar!?" growled Archie as he turned on the boy, placing his gloved hands on his sides as he scowled. "Are you trying to say I shouldn't get praise!?"

"I think you missed the point by a landslide, Archie." Edgar sighed.

As Archie turned to Todd, he frowned. "Err… what's he talkin' about, Todd?"

Todd could only grimace in response. "I have no clue."

"In any case, I think Angie might have a point." As Edgar got up, he slowly looked over towards the deep footsteps that led away from them. "We might as well wait for a while until we're sure that the Monster won't come back."

His sister at once threw him a scowl, about to open her mouth (most likely to scream at him) when he raised his hand. "Before you make any objections, Marley, think about it: We're in danger, so we better be sure that we're not going to be ambushed if we set out now."

" _Ugh_ , I've been stuck in a shed for the past few hours, and _now_ I have to stand out here with you _guys_!?" she spat, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "I need space, Edgar! I'm sick of this!"

Just before Edgar replied to that, Todd stepped in and put a hand on her shoulder. In response she jerked away, glaring darkly at him before he withdrew his hand, and spoke, "Okay, maybe we've all been spending a lot of time with each other… But we have to be careful."

"I don't care, I need to be alone!" shrieked Marley, making the dark brown haired boy edge back warily as she stomped her foot down in front of her. "It's not like I'm blind, so lay off and let me be!" With a frustrated growl, she turned around and stalked off, startling Todd.

After she was gone, Todd could only turn back to Edgar who was rubbing his temples with a grimace. "We shouldn't let her go off on her own-"

"Todd, just let her be," curtly said his friend as he sighed sadly. "She's stressed enough as it is, and let me tell you that she doesn't appreciate company when she's not in a good mood."

"She was like that the whole time with me!" Archie cried out as he joined them, rolling his brown eyes as he grumbled, "Yammerin' on about how I got her stuck down here, and how horrible the monsters were…"

"That's exactly why we need to let her be." Crossing his arms, the boy in the dark grey coat closed his eyes, shaking his head as he went on, "I know my sister very well, Archie… and it would seem that she's caught some cabin fever."

Archie's eyes became saucers the moment Edgar said that, exclaiming with incredulousness, "So being in that shack with me caused her to get sick!? I didn't know anyone could get sick from that!"

At once Edgar groaned, "That's not it."

"You said she's sick!"

"No, Archie, stop." With a mutter under his breath, Edgar scowled at him. "Cabin fever is where people tend to get irritated if they're stuck indoors for too long."

"But how does that work if she's been in a shed with Archie?" asked Todd in confusion as he tilted his head to one side. "She hasn't really been there for too long."

"More like a day!" added Archie quickly.

Angie ambled over, looking straight at Edgar when she asked curiously, "Could you mean to say that she's been with _us_ for too long?"

With a nod, Edgar sighed contently. "Yes, that's what I meant."

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" The messy orange haired boy shook his head wildly, scowling at the taller boy as he growled, "You said it was cabin fever, _not_ people fever!"

In response the boy sighed. "It's a form of explanation that I hoped you would understand, but clearly you failed to see the similarities," mused Edgar in an air of disappointment, turning away as he put in, "Right now, the best thing we need to do is let Marley have her alone time and she'll come back."

"Err…" Todd frowned. "How do you know if she will?"

"I'm her brother," responded Edgar flatly. "Who else would she complain to if she's alone?"

When it would seem as though the conversation wasn't going to continue, Todd closed his dark blue eyes and thought, **'Well, he's got a point… as always.'**

As the group dispersed, seemingly going off to do their own thing in the clearing, Todd turned around to find that Winnie was on her hands on knees where the Monster had been standing before. Furrowing his eyebrows, Todd frowned. **'I wonder what Winnie is doing?'**

The moment he halted beside her, he saw that she was learning over, bunching something up with her small hands. When he knelt down, Winnie instantly shot her head up, her crystal blue eyes wide as he asked softly, "Hey, Winnie… what are you doing?"

At once she looked at the ground again, making Todd feel a sting of hurt again that she was ignoring him when she slowly met his gaze. Opening her hands up, there was some snow resting in them.

"I want to make a snowman," she said quietly, making him widen his eyes as she went back to fidgeting with the snow she currently had. For a while he watched her, wondering why it was taking her so long to make a sphere of snow. He was soon struck with the feeling that she might have been struggling with it.

"Is the snow too powdery?" he asked in concern.

"No, it's _too_ cold…" she whimpered, her blue eyes half closing in sadness as she sniffled, "And it keeps melting…"

Todd instantly felt bad for her, knowing that making snowmen in the winter was one of her favorite things to do. In fact, he always helped her, seeing that she couldn't put the body together without him. It was something that they both enjoyed… and he knew that making one would make her feel less miserable that she wasn't home.

Just as he was about to ask if she wanted help, he flinched upon hearing Archie's loud voice. "Hey Big Bro and Lil Sis, whatcha doing here?" asked the boy boldly as he trotted over, making Todd look up to see the boy grinning merrily at him.

"Winnie's trying to make a snowman," he replied mildly, earning a big nod from his best friend.

"That's awesome!" piped Archie as he looked down at Winnie, soon frowning upon seeing her expression. "Whoa… what's with the long face, Lil Sis?"

"The snow's too cold for her hands, and it keeps melting," explained Todd as he blinked. "She can't make a snowball."

"Oh, _pfft_ \- That's the _problem_!?" asked Archie in disbelief, shaking his head. "Why didn't ya call me over sooner!?" Without warning Archie started to shuck off his gloves, throwing them on the ground as he waved his hand to them wildly "Use my puppies! It'll be a cinch!"

Todd could only stare at Archie for a few seconds, stunned by his kindness before he smiled warmly. "Thanks, Archie…"

"No prob', Bestie!" cried Archie as he plopped down beside Winnie, cross-legged as he looked down at Winnie. "We can't let Lil Sis down, y'know?"

That was the thing about Archie… Even though he didn't have any siblings, Archie was always there for Winnie when Todd needed him. It was nice to depend on Archie during those times...

When Todd looked back at his sister, the blonde was staring at the gloves before she gazed at him. "I-Is it okay…?" she asked shyly.

"Of course it is, go ahead!" Archie had his arms crossed, grinning gleefully as he chuckled. "I threw them off my paws for a reason, Lil Sis!"

Hesitantly Winnie reached over for them, letting the snow she was working with flutter onto the ground as she slowly put them on, instantly sniffling when they merely slid off her tiny hands. Todd at once scooped them up, putting them on and gathered a wad of snow in his hands, kneading them until he formed a small snowball. Gently resting it before Winnie, he started on another, catching his sister's surprised gaze for a few seconds as he patted it together. "Go ahead, Winnie, I'll get the other two ready for you."

When she slowly brought it over, she started to roll it on the sheet of snow, gradually enlarging it as Todd finished the second one. The moment he placed it down, Archie lunged for it, grinning as he started to roll it on the ground as well, shocking Todd before he heard Winnie giggle. Upon seeing her smile, Todd let himself do the same as warmth bubbled in his chest, starting on the next one.

As soon as the last one was done, he saw that Winnie rolled hers to twice its size while Archie's was already as large as Todd's head. "Hey, Winnie," he murmured, making her look up as he asked, "Do you want to work on the head?"

With a grin, she nodded. Her eyes sparkled as Archie shouted, "I call dibs on making the large snowball!" As he got to his feet, he had to lean forward as he started pushing it through the snow, his head bobbing up and down as he worked. Todd could only let out a laugh when Archie tripped over it, shooting his hand up when he hollered, "I'm good!"

Todd felt his spirits lift as he continued on his snowball, exhilarated by the activity he hadn't done in a long time. He didn't remember the last time he felt this happy, but at least it got his mind off of the fact he wasn't home.

When everyone was done, Todd and Archie scavenged through the trees, looking for fallen branches that they could use for the arms when they realized none of them were good enough. So they went back to find that Winnie was sorting through a pile of pebbles, soon plucking out one and putting it with the small pile beside her. The moment she was done, Todd handed Archie back the leather gloves then the orange haired boy pushed the semi-large snowball over. It didn't take long for the middle piece to be hefted on, and then at last Todd placed the head in its rightful place.

Taking a moment to look at it, Todd realized it wasn't centered, but he didn't care about that. All he did care about was the happiness that Winnie radiated as she gazed at their creation.

"So, Mr. Snowman has no arms, and we don't have a top hat…" Archie grimaced, shaking his head as he sighed.

"Well, we made a snowman, Archie," said the dark brown haired boy as Winnie pressed the dark stones into its chest. "Does it really matter?"

His best friend shot him a startled look. "Snowmen need top hats, noses, pipes, arms… and we don't have that!"

"We have limited resources, Archie," said Todd as he shook his head sadly. "If we knew we would fall down Mount Ebott, knew we would be in a snowy forest… do you think we would have a top hat ready?"

For a while the boy in the mottled orange and brown t-shirt stared at him blankly, frowning as he soon replied, "Okay… you're right about that." After a pause he exclaimed, "But what about the nose!? Every single snowman has a _bright_ _orange_ carrot for the nose! We need the nose at least!"

Well, Todd had to admit that was true. He never saw a snowman without one…

"I got the nose!" chirped Winnie as she quickly unbuckled the satchel, making Todd look down at her in surprise when she pulled out a carrot. "Miss Toriel gave me some because she said it will make me see better!"

" _Alright_!" Archie shot his clenched hand into the air, fist pumping as he whooped eagerly, "We got _something_ for Mr. Snowman!"

"Mr. Snowman will be able to smell now!" Winnie reached up, screwing up her face and grunting, as her arms couldn't reach high enough. As she let her arms go limp, she sniffled in defeat, "I can't give him his nose."

"Hang on for a moment, Winnie." Todd instantly leaned down, meeting his sister's gaze as he smiled brightly. "I'll help with Mr. Snowman's face for you…"

Winnie grinned at him, cheerfully handing him the snowman's nose and he pushed it in carefully, making sure to slant it slightly to give it character. Upon facing his sister again, she handed him some of her pebbles and he nodded, putting in the eyes and smile for their friend. He had to wonder whether or not Monsters also made snowmen… but if they did, he could only assume they didn't look like theirs.

Stepping back, he studied the snowman for a while until he nodded. **'He looks good. I think he's pretty happy to be here.'**

"What do you think of our snowman, Winnie?" asked Todd as Winnie tilted her head up to look at him.

With a grin, she squeaked merrily, "I like Mr. Snowman! You made him _so_ happy, Big Brother!" She gave him a hug, making him smile as she giggled. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Winnie."

"And what about me!?" asked Archie cheekily, putting his hands on his side. "I made sure Mr. Snowman had a good body!"

"I'm sorry!" Winnie gasped, releasing Todd as she scurried over to embrace Archie. "Thank you, Archie!"

As Winnie hugged him, Todd couldn't help but frown at how Archie shivered. At once Todd went over, pulling off his coat and handed it over to his best friend. When Archie stared at it, Todd spoke firmly, "You must be cold."

"I'm not cold, Todd, I'm a man!" protested Archie as Winnie let go of him, gazing at him in concern as he went on, "I can brave the frosty-"

"You're only in shorts and a t-shirt," said Todd flatly, pushing it towards him as he lightened his tone. "And who else will be my best friend if you freeze?"

Slowly Archie formed a grin, swiping the coat and slipping it on. "Well, well, well… no one else is _awesome_ enough to replace your man Archie!" He didn't fasten it, leaving it open. Todd could only imagine the bold boy did that to make his outfit look cool.

As Todd spun around, he noticed that Marley was marching back. He smiled, happy that nothing happened to her when she was gone. As Todd ambled over to Edgar, the glasses wearing boy spoke flatly, "Did you have enough time for yourself, Marley?"

Marley was silent for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes, huffing as she growled, "None of you had the idea to follow me, _thankfully_!" With that she crossed her arms, sharply looking away as she hissed, " _Ugh_ , I'm tired of this stupid forest… Let's go already!"

Edgar merely adjusted his glasses, soon speaking as he stared at her, "I think we had adequate time here, so I guess we should."

" _Anyway_ , why do you all have jackets?" hissed Marley as she coldly stared at them. "Here I am _freezing_ my butt off and you don't even offer _me_ one!"

"We got them from Toriel," replied Angie as she crossed her arms. "And if you had mentioned this earlier, we would have gladly given you one, Marley."

"Then give me one!" spat Marley as she snorted. "I'm cold!"

For a few seconds Todd could only stare at her, surprised at her tone. He felt something was off about Marley, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Normally Marley would be screaming her head off, but right now she was simply acting rude… He only dismissed his thought; it must have been one of the rare occasions that she wasn't as angry as she usually was.

Slowly Angie took off the grey coat she had been wearing, keeping her green eyes narrowed as she stretched it towards Marley... then the taller girl abruptly snatched it with one swipe of her hand, snorting as she pulled it on stiffly. As Archie was about to take the lead again, Marley shoved past him, strutting forward without looking back.

" _Sheesh_ … I didn't think I'd get body-checked!" growled Archie as he rubbed his shoulder, scowling after the black girl. "What's up with your Sis, Edgar!?"

"Don't mind, Marley, Archie," said Edgar flatly, shaking his head before he started to follow his sister. "We all know she's never in a good mood, unless she's preforming for her audience."

Todd could only give a shrug at that, knowing that it was a true fact. When dancing Marley wore a smile, when spending time with them she constantly scowled. Marley was Marley; he could only assume that every time she complained it was her way of showing that she enjoyed being around them… Or, at least he imagined it was.

* * *

After going through the snowy forest for a while, Todd could only enjoy the silence it held as they passed through each area.

They didn't encounter any Monsters due to how Marley appointed herself as their scout, going ahead to check if the coast was clear before they continued. Of course, Todd wanted to tell her how worried he was that she could get killed if she kept doing this, but he thought better of it. Marley would probably yell her head off at him if he mentioned it. And he knew Marley was the fastest of all of them, so going with her to scout would only draw more attention to themselves… He steered that conversation away, only keeping his concern constant for her as they continued forward.

Soon after a long walk, they reached a wide clearing where they encountered another shed, that looked identical to the one that thy passed. Todd glanced at his surroundings, noticing how there was some strange shapes in the snow all around him. He knew from the furious scraping of Edgar's pen that Edgar also found them to be peculiar…

"Ugh, do you have to write in that dumb notebook now, Edgar!?" growled Marley as Edgar wrote without falter, seemingly too focused to have heard his sister. "We'll never get out of here if you make us stop every time you want to fiddle around with it!"

"I think this calls for 'fiddling', Marley," said Edgar with a sigh; bringing the cover over the page he had been on before he pocketed his notebook. "Something happened here, which begs the question of what."

Marley wrinkled her nose. "This is nonsense! I can't believe you're doing this!"

Angie gave the girl an annoyed look as she crossed her arms. "I have to agree with Edgar on this one, Marley…" At once the black girl scowled at her. "Something happened here. I don't know what, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Exactly." Edgar nodded. "Something _has_ happened here, and I'd like to know what." With that, Edgar headed off to examine one of the strange dips in the snow.

"Ugh, you can't be _serious_!" yelled Marley as she stomped down, shaking her head with dismay.

"Oh give it a rest, Marley," growled Angie as she leaned against the shed. "We shouldn't gloss over this."

Just as Marley seemed ready to blow up in rage, Todd heard pitter-patters coming from nearby. When he turned to face whatever it was, he cringed the moment he saw a bipedal Great Pyrenees dog in shiny grey armour was trotting in their direction. It seemed to be humming a happy tune with his tail wagging to the beat.

"Oh _crud_ , it's a monster!" exclaimed Archie in alarm, making Todd whip his head to him in shock. Before Todd could tell his best friend they had to be quiet, he heard the dog Monster give out a yap. Upon facing the Monster, he saw that they were staring at them, slowly bringing their goggles up to their forehead as they blinked their wide eyes.

"R-What the-" The Monster gave a sniff, soon blinking again as he frowned in confusion. "I've never tasted this scent before! R-What is it!?"

Todd quickly grabbed his sister's hand, stepping backwards as he felt sweat roll down his face. **'Oh no…'** He saw how the shiny armour that the Monster wore had the same symbol from the ruins. **'Don't tell me this is…'**

"Captain said to attack trespassers…" muttered the young looking dog, looking at them again as he slowly drew his creamy paw behind his back. "And… unknown scents count for that, right?" After a second or two he grimaced. "I think so?"

 **'Is this one of the Royal Guard members!?'**

Suddenly he sharply drew out a dagger, bringing it slantwise and face down in front of his chest as he shakily stood his ground. "M-My first battle… I'm so excited about this!"

Todd noticed that Edgar was far away from them, still checking a few of the indents in the snow as he made notes. He seemed unaware of the threat that was here. **'Oh no! Edgar!'**

Before Todd could give out a shout to warn Edgar, the Monster gave an ecstatic growl, "Trespassers, you r-won't get past Rover!"

Right away he began running towards them, his dagger rising in the air as Todd immediately thrust himself and Winnie out of range of the Monster's charge. The moment Todd landed, he heard a thud from behind him. But he ignored it as he quickly reached for his revolver, raising it up only to find that the Monster had fallen over nearby him. **'He fell over?'**

For a second the Monster was on his hands and knees, his dagger a little ways from him as he shook his head wildly with his tongue sliding out as he panted. "I-I can't believe I missed! It was the first attack, and I didn't even scrape them! I'm supposed to… I'm supposed to…" After he got up slowly, he pawed at his glistening grey armor before he breathed in deeply. "Rover, _focus_ … You need to _focus_ , Rover!"

As Todd readied his shot, he realized that the Monster was leaning over slightly, wagging his tail. "Maybe I should try my technique? That should r-work…" Soon the creamy bipedal dog began to take on an orange colour, making Todd widen his eyes as the Monster clenched his paws. "Yeah! I'm going to attack you this time, trespassers! Don't move out of the r-way!"

The Monster became a bright orange the moment he fell to the ground, rolling straight towards them rapidly. Before Todd could get out of the way, he felt the Monster collide with him, making him scream out as he was sent flying. The moment he landed safely in a snowdrift, he looked up, frantically trying to find his sister. Luckily she was safe with Marley, who was pulling her towards the shed, and he gave out a sigh of relief. **'Winnie will be safe…'**

Bringing his attention back to the battle, Todd saw that the Monster continued to roll around on the ground. From the looks of it, the Monster was bulldozing through snowdrifts towards Archie who was trying his best to get away from the fast orange dog.

 **'What happened!?'** thought Todd as he watched the dog soon return to normal, standing up to lunge for Archie with two daggers. **'He turned** _ **orange**_ **!? What's going on here!?'**

When Archie stopped, he turned to face the dog Monster who panted, seemingly exhausted from his attempt of murder. After a long moment of staring at the young Great Pyrenees, Todd's best friend yelled in frustration, "Stop attacking us! We're not going to hurt you, so lay off, _pal_!"

"But you're trespassers, trespasser!" protested the dog as he panted. "I need… to attack you!"

"No you don't, we're not here to fight!" Archie gathered snow into his gloved hands, and with a grunt he chucked a snowball. "Take this, doggie!"

It flew over the Monster's head, falling to the ground, which made the Monster yelp in surprise, " _Oh my gosh_! Snow, _snow_! R-Woo-" For some reason the Monster starting yipping with delight, prancing around in the snow. "Oh how I _love_ snow, oh how did you know that!?"

Archie could only stare at the dog Monster in disbelief, backing away as he shook his head wildly. "Wait… why are you happy about my attack!?" asked Archie in dismay.

Instead of replying, the dog Monster continued to twirl around until he fell over, shaking before he sighed contently. "Ah… _that_ r-was fun."

As Todd got up, he kept his revolver in his hand as he slowly approached the giggling Monster. Clearly Archie was trying to scare it off, but for some reason this Monster… Rover from the sound of it, thought that Archie was trying to play with him for a second? That didn't make any sense…

Unless, Todd pondered as he stared at the Monster, the dog Monster was still young.

"R-Wow, as much as I r-want to play more, I need to fight you!" exclaimed Rover, getting up and crouching. "Sorry, trespasser!"

"Whoa-whoa- _whoa_!" The orange haired boy started to wave his hands around as he shook his head. "I'm trying to defend myself!" yelled Archie in irritation. "Not play with you!"

Before Rover could try to attack him again, Todd quickly shot a bullet at the dog's hindpaws, missing luckily. As Rover's head shot up in alarm, Todd started waving his hands above his head as he yelled, "Get away from him!"

"Oh! You made that sound!" cried Rover, tugging on his goggles as his tail became stiff. "R-Well then! I'll get you for startling me!"

Swiftly turning sideways, immediately becoming orange, Rover barreled over towards Todd. Before Todd could shoot another bullet, he moved to the side, but he feared it was too late because the dog Monster was about to hit him… Suddenly he felt strange as the Monster phased through him, rolling to the ground on the other side before hopping to his paws. The moment Todd turned around he had to bring up his revolver to block the two daggers that were jabbing at him one at a time in a crisscross, grunting as each one met his weapon. After a while of struggling with protecting himself against the strikes, the bipedal dog pushed him backwards onto his spine.

" _Big Brother_ … _no_!" cried Winnie fearfully from afar as Todd widened his eyes, having the Monster loom over him while his forepaws held onto the daggers hard. Before Rover had a chance to drive his daggers into Todd, Todd rolled himself away, grimacing when snow pressed into his face briefly before he got up shakily.

Upon turning to the dog Monster with his revolver ready, he could only stare at the milky dog when it yelped, " _Oh my gosh_! You like rolling around in the snow, _too_!?"

"Huh!?" Todd widened his dark blue eyes as the Monster trembled, his tail wagging enthusiastically. "What do you mean…? I just rolled on the ground-"

" _Oh my gosh_ \- so trespassers like to roll around in snow like me!?" Rover seemed to be astonished as he continued to babble under his breath, "R- _Wow_! I have to r-wonder if they all do!?" With a shake of his head, he sighed as his tail froze and sagged on the snowy ground. "But… they're trespassers. A-And I need to fight them."

Again Rover thrust his daggers at Todd, causing Todd to roll away from the attack and earned a shrill squeal from the Monster, " _Oh my gosh_! The trespasser did it _again_! R-What does that _mean_!?"

 **'Why's Rover so excited about me rolling around?'** thought Todd in confusion as he gazed at the seemingly hyperactive Monster. **'I'm trying to dodge his attacks!'**

"Keep rolling around, Todd!" Turning to the sound of the voice, Todd gawked at Edgar as he waved his dark hand back and forth. "Just do it!"

"Why should I-" Before Todd could finish, he leapt back to avoid another attack, tumbling and rolling the moment he landed wrong. " _Gah_!?" As he landed on his face, he faintly heard animated barking from nearby. **'What's Edgar getting at with this?'**

When he propped himself up, he stared at the Monster who was no longer holding his daggers, instead clapping his paws precipitously together and yelping. Before Todd could retrieve his revolver, the Monster dashed over to him, hoisting Todd above the ground as he exclaimed ruefully, " _Oh my gosh_ , how can I fight you r-when you like rolling around like I do!? I don't r-want to fight you! R-Why r-was I fighting you! R-Why should r-we fight!?"

"Err… we shouldn't then?" suggested Todd nervously as his feet dangled in the air, hoping he won't get dropped and have his spine broken.

" _Oh my gosh_ , I shouldn't fight someone r-who shares my hobbies!" cried the Monster in horror, instantly bringing Todd to his breastplate as he squeezed the life out of Todd. As Todd writhed in the embrace, gasping for breath, he heard the creamy bipedal dog whine sincerely, "You are right, trespasser! I can't bare the thought of killing you! So I r-won't, I promise you!"

Todd plummeted into a pile of snow, feeling dizzy as he struggled to reclaim the oxygen he lost from Monster's affection. As he heard the pitter-patter of Rover's paws ebb away, he heard the dog Monster howl, "I need to tell the Captain and the rest of the Royal Guard about you guys!"

At once Todd's blood went cold, and he forgot to breath for a moment. **'Rover's part of the Royal Guard…'** He closed his eyes, letting himself go limp against the snow around him. **'Oh no… I was right...'**

Before Todd got up, his hands were seized, pulling him up which caused him to cringe that Rover was back. He wondered why the Monster was back so quickly when something cold landed in his hands, and then Rover flew off into the distance in a hurry. As he watched the Monster disappear from his sight, he could only stare down at his hands that held strange tiny golden triangles. When he brought his hands closer to his face, he realized that there were odd looking numbers engraved in them.

 **'W-What was that about…?'** thought Todd in confusion, shaking slightly before he felt himself flop down on the snow. **'What** _ **are**_ **these!?'**

"Excellent work, Todd," said Edgar as he came over to join him, finishing his writing with a stroke of his pen that he clicked. "I'm surprised it actually worked."

"Worked?" echoed Todd in confusion, looking back down at the triangles that spilled from his hands.

"Yes, if you happened to listen to what I had to say," replied Edgar, unimpressed, picking out a triangle from Todd's hands. "And through luck, you did." As he studied the tiny triangle, he soon tapped his chin and mused, "Hmm… if I had to guess what he gave you, it has to be some form of currency."

"Currency?" Todd screwed his face up at that, shoving the strange triangles into his pants pocket and collecting the fallen ones right after that. When he picked up the last one, he squinted his eyes as he asked quietly, "How could you figure that out, Edgar?"

"Naturally, if you take a moment to look at the numbers they have on them, you can tell that it is." After a moment or two, Edgar brought out his notebook again, beginning to scratch down on it with his pen, occasionally glancing at the triangle Todd held. "I think you made the Monster so happy, Todd, that it couldn't help but express that through giving you money."

"Hah, that's _rich_ ," hissed Marley as she hopped over to them, her ballet flats squishing as she landed beside her brother. With a flip of her black hair, she rolled her eyes. "There's no reason for any of those creatures to do that for us! You keep saying we're enemies, so why would they want to donate money to us?"

"Marley, there's no reason for you to question gratitude," noted Edgar sternly, staring at her with a frown etched on his face. "We might as well make due with it."

"Hmph, we're lucky we got out from that stupid hassle!" With that, she strutted away.

As Todd got up, he slowly put away the strange piece and skimmed his eyes over the area. When he spotted his revolver, he started heading towards it when he heard Edgar quietly muse, "That Monster… he said he was going to talk to the Royal Guard and his captain?"

Quickly Todd slipped his gun back into its holster, pivoting back as he grimaced. "Yeah… he did."

" _Guys_!" Upon turning to his best friend who was pointing in the direction they had to go, the orange haired boy held a horrified expression as he exclaimed, "It said it was going to tell those guards we're here! We're _toast_! We're _dead_!" Snapping his attention to Edgar, the boy grabbed his shoulders and began to wildly shake him. "What are we going to do!?"

"Archie, you're going to knock Eddy unconscious!" scolded Angie as she dashed over and fought to pull them apart, sending a glare to the twelve-year-old as she growled, "You're not making the situation better right now!"

"But _still_!" Archie waved his arms frantically in the air. "Game over! _Game over_!" When he stopped, he grabbed his hair as he yelled out with fraught, "It's going to rat us out!"

"I know he will, so that's why we have to get away from here now." As Edgar sighed, he adjusted his coat before he put his notebook into a side pocket. "But, I think we made an ally."

"An ally?" questioned the dark brown haired boy in confusion. "But Rover's going to let them know where we are!"

Edgar took a moment to tip his glasses up, silent for a few moments before he shook his head. "He won't attack us. There's a chance that he will try to stop them from attacking us."

"And what if he doesn't?" asked Angie sternly as Todd felt someone grab his hand, making him instantly worried when he saw his sister was shivering frightfully. "What if his captain orders him to kill us?"

The black boy frowned. "Then there's a chance that he'll do that, Angie. But we'll never know for sure until we see him again." After a second he sighed. "For now, we can only hope."

Todd stared at Edgar in worry. **'But… the Royal Guard will still know we're here.'** As Edgar and Archie started to walk off after Marley, Archie continuing to freak out about the fact that they could be killed, Angie gave Todd a look of concern when he didn't make a move to follow them. Todd closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, quivering while doing so. **'We blew our cover… They're going to kill us! All of us!'**

* * *

After Todd calmed down, they went after everyone else. The moment they caught up was beside a field of ice, which had many thick icy pillars in them. Todd could only look at Edgar who was tapping at his chin, shaking his head soon as he spoke, "It appears to be a puzzle."

"Funny, how we finally get a puzzle after all the walking we did," said Angie with a sigh. "I have to wonder if the Monsters around here are lazy about them…" When she took a glance at the icy spikes, she grimaced. "So what do you think, Eddy?"

Edgar gave her an unimpressed look for a few seconds before he closed his eyes. "Hmm… I think we need to find a way across the ice field with the spikes in mind."

"Oh, pfft- that's easy!" At once Archie sprang onto the ice, letting out a yelp as he slid fluently towards the edge. "Wa- _gah_ -"

"Archie!" shouted Todd in shock, taking a step forward only to faceplant onto the ice.

"Big Brother!" screamed Winnie in horror. "No!

"Todd!" yelled Angie. "Why did you do that!? You're going to fall over and die!"

Before Todd could reply, he fell over the edge. A second or two later, he felt ground below him, rolling over to find that Archie was beside him.

" _Ow_ …" Archie grimaced as he whipped to sit up, rubbing his back as he groaned. "I didn't think the ice was that slippery!"

"Me neither…" agreed Todd.

For a few seconds he stared up, expecting to see the land that they fell from only to see the sky. **'Huh? I thought we fell over the edge?'**

" _Whoa_!? Todd-" Abruptly he was pulled up, having his head turn and in his field of vision he could see his sister and friends standing beside an ice field. "Didn't we _fall_!?"

"Well yeah, we did?" replied Todd with confusion.

"T-Then how did we get here!?" exclaimed Archie with shock, pounding his fist down into the ground. "This is nuts!"

 **'Yeah, it is…'**

This sort of reminded him of the time in the Ruins when he tried to jump across the stream… Maybe the Monster who made that puzzle was the same one who made the ice field's?

When they got back, Angie let out a gasp as she ran over to them, giving them both a hug at the same time. "I thought you were dead!"

"We kind of teleported…" Todd shrugged, grimacing as he pointed in the direction they came from. "It's like the switch puzzle?"

"Ah, so some form of magic is in play here," noted Edgar dully. "Why am I not surprised?"

Angie let go of them, and suddenly Todd felt his arm get struck which caused him to yelp. When Archie received the same treatment, Angie screamed, "I thought you guys were dead! You shouldn't have jumped onto the ice when we don't know where to move to get across!"

"Uh… sorry?" Todd frowned at her, soon rubbing his arm. He felt as though he might get a bad bruise later on…

"Now that we got a demonstration of what _not_ to do…" Edgar adjusted his glasses, writing something down before he turned to the ice, pointing his pen at it. "We should figure out what we _should_ do."

"And what do we do, Edgar?" asked Marley with a snort.

For a while Edgar seemed to be studying the ice field before he turned back to his sister. "We should go for the icicles. If we could grab onto them, in the right order, we should be able to get across unharmed."

Angie gave a nod at that. "Yeah. We should." She gave a scowl to Todd and Archie. "Especially for you two."

"Hey!" protested Archie with a scowl, shaking his fist at her. "I was testing how easy it was to fall off! I didn't want any of you guys doing that and get hurt!"

"Sure you did," said Edgar, unimpressed. "Now why don't you try again, but this time think about where you put your feet, Archie."

Todd watched as Archie gritted his teeth, clenching his dull pinkish grey gloves before he marched forward. "I will gladly take one for the team, Edgar!" he said cheekily, smirking as he pushed up his sleeves. "I'm a tough man, and it doesn't matter how many times I need to do this so we all get safely across!"

With that he stepped on the ice.

After a long time of getting on and falling off the ice field, along with Winnie giving Archie Spindlesnaps when he looked far too injured to walk anymore, Archie slid across a narrow path and yelped, "Guys! _Help_! I can't stop slid-"

Archie disappeared into a shroud of trees.

"Oh no, we lost him again!" groaned Angie with a facepalm.

"I don't think he fell over the edge," mused Todd, turning to sprint back to the place Archie constantly fell to over the course of tackling the puzzle. When he found that Archie wasn't there, he returned to everyone and smiled. "Guys, I think he solved the puzzle."

"Oh, that's a relief…" breathed Angie, placing her hand on her chest.

"Well then, did anyone pay attention to which pillar he chose to slide to?" asked Edgar flatly, only receiving blank looks in response. "Nobody? And here I thought at least one of you did."

"Did _you_ pay attention, Eddy?" asked Angie mildly, crossing her arms.

"Of course I did." Edgar gave a sigh. "I wanted to make sure someone else did, so we could have more than one person to guide everyone through this."

"Eh, I get what you mean." Angie gave a shrug at that. "I can't blame you for wanting that."

"I'll go next!" spat Marley sharply, pushing herself to be in front of Edgar. "I'm sick of standing here, I want to get out of here as fast as I can, so tell me where to go, Edgar!"

"Very well." Edgar cleared his throat before he began, "Go straight ahead where you are right now, Marley, and aim for that far pillar."

"Ugh, _alright_ …" growled his sister, stepping gingerly on and drifted forward. As soon as she got to the pillar, she wrapped her arms around it to steady herself before she yelled, "Now what!?"

"To your left, catch that pillar!" yelled Edgar as he used his hand to cup his mouth, gesturing to his left with the other. When Marley did so, Edgar continued, "Now come back to our direction-"

"Don't tell me one thing at a time, Edgar! I'm not a two-year-old!"

"Everyday you seem to be one…" Edgar shook his head at that with a sigh. "And I have to be mature for the both of us…"

"What was that!? I didn't hear you!"

"I said, come back in our direction, take a left, then go in the direction Archie went!" yelled the black boy with a hint of anger sliding into his voice. As Marley started doing what he said, Edgar started to rub his temples as he muttered under his breath.

Todd could only furrow his eyebrows, wanting to ask Edgar about what he meant before Todd thought better of it.

As Marley glided through the same narrow trail Archie went, Edgar turned around and gestured behind himself. "Now then, who's next?" asked Edgar wearily.

With a quick look to Winnie, Todd leaned down to his sister. "We should go next." When Winnie's blue eyes widened with fear, he pulled her close and murmured, "I'll be right with you all the way, Winnie."

When Winnie hesitantly nodded, Todd kept a firm grip on his sister's hand as he brought them to the brink. "Ready?" Winnie squeezed his hand harder, nodding again before he faced the ice. "Okay, let's go."

Stepping together, Todd made sure they didn't veer off their course, not letting himself loosen his grip on his sister's hand at any time. When they finally got to the final pillar, they headed towards the sliver of ice that Archie and Marley went across. As they passed through a shroud of trees, it was very dark, and Todd tightened his grip, trying not to move a muscle until they stopped at the other end. He saw that his sister had a snow formation that looked like a candle on the top of her head, and he couldn't help but laugh at it.

"You have a snow heart on your head, Big Brother!" squealed Winnie in laughter, and the snow candle she had on her head crumbled apart when her head shook.

"And you had a snow candle!" chuckled Todd, soon having snow float down from his head. He took off his cowboy hat for a second, swiping off the leftover snow before he put it back on.

The moment Angie and Edgar joined them, they set off again towards the path before them. From the looks of the other path, he felt as though it wouldn't be wise to try that one out. So they walked for a short while, only stopping the moment that they caught sight of Rover. Todd's breath hitched as he saw that Rover wasn't alone...

"I'm telling the truth!" barked Rover, facing a bipedal Doberman that was leaning on a staff that they held boredly in their brown paws. Their white speckled ears were longer than a normal Doberman's, and their paws had longer grey claws. Their armour matched the same one that Rover wore, with the symbol of the Ruins in the middle of the breastplate. "A trespasser rolled around r-with me, and there r-were five other ones!"

"Oh, Rover, I keep telling you that there's no way a trespasser would simply play with you," said the other Monster coldly, shaking her head as she tapped her staff in annoyance. "I want you to go back to your sentry station, and _actually_ look for trespassers." She gave a pat on his head, clicking her tongue while doing so. "I know you've been a member for a week, but you shouldn't be fooling around with me and the other elites…" She then sighed. "You need to take your job seriously."

At once Rover's ears flattened. "B-But I _did_ …" When he turned around, he jumped, pointing towards them, which made Todd stiffen. "R-Wait a minute! _Roxie_! They're standing right there!"

"Rover, stop trying to convince me that-" As soon as the Doberman Monster turned her head slightly, her eyes widened for a split second. Then they narrowed as her lips pulled back, and she snarled, " _Trespassers_!"

"I kept telling you that, Roxie…" whined Rover sadly, whimpering as he looked at the ground, "And you didn't even believe me…"

The moment the Doberman Monster met his gaze, she sighed. "Okay, maybe I should have listened to you, Rover. ...Deep regrets all around…" To Todd, it sounded like she wasn't sorry at all. It made him sort of frustrated that she was treating Rover that way.

As Roxie dismissively gave a gesture to shoo him off, she growled, "Go inform Rufus that we have trespassers, Rover!" After swinging her staff up, hunching over in an aggressive stance, she growled coldly, " _I'll_ deal with them…"

"O-Okay…" whimpered Rover before he went off in the other direction, his limp tail was dragging on the ground.

The moment that Rover was gone was when Roxie swatted the ground with her staff, pointing her long sharp ears forward as she snarled icily, "State your purpose, trespassers! I will rip your throats out if you don't!"

" _Sheesh_! Take a chill pill…" Archie grimaced as he spoke casually, "We're just going on by…"

"I know you're traveling, but I know that I've never seen scoundrels like _you_ before!" growled Roxie as she narrowed her eyes into slits. "I've lived in Snowdin all my life, patrolled Snowdin Forest all my life, know _all_ the Monsters from _all_ over…" With a jab of her paw towards them, her long claws unsheathing, she spat harshly, "So _who_ are you! _What_ are you!? _Answer_ _me_!"

"We're not going to tell you that!" spat Archie with a shake of his head. "We _really_ need to go home, so leave us alone!"

"Home?" For a moment the bipedal Doberman stared at them suspiciously. "What do you mean you need to go home...?"

"I said, we're not going to tell you, so _back off_!" As Archie clenched his fists, he glared at the Monster.

When the Monster breathed in deeply, her brown paws immediately tightened around her staff. "Something smells fishy about you… I've never smelt your scent before." As Archie was about to speak again, Roxie went on, "You _don't_ smell like you're from the Underground…" As her hackles rose, she shakily breathed in as she shook her head. "I-It can not be-" Her eyes became slits at once, and she let out a loud roar, "You're _Humans_! That's why I can't identify you- you're filthy Humans!"

At once she thrust her staff in their direction, letting out a series of growls as she leered at them. "I can't believe you got this far, but that doesn't matter! I'm going to slay you right here, right now! For what you did, for what you _all_ did!"

She pushed one of her paws towards them, sending out a white cluster that hurled straight towards them. "You _selfish_ MURDERERS!"

Todd moved himself and Winnie out of the way, soon having to quickly dodge the explosion of hail that flew in their direction. When he brought out his revolver, he could see that the Monster was heading straight towards them with her staff reared back.

"I heard all about your devious deeds in the Old War!" screamed Roxie as she wildly swung her staff, making Todd yelp as he tried to get them out of harms way. "You took the lives of us Monsters- you stole it because you wanted us gone- you made yourself stronger through _absorbing_ our SOULS!" Huffing, she rumbled out a growl, "I _can't_ stand you..."

"What war!?" yelped Archie when the Royal Guard member nearly whacked his head, skittering across the snow as the Monster let out a snarl. "I don't know what you're talking about!?"

"Oh, but of course you _wouldn't_ know! They probably never told you of all the _wrongdoings_ that they _dealt_ to us!" With another thrust of her paw, more clusters blasted from it, making Archie and Angie zigzag awkwardly to avoid them. "Human cowardice hasn't died, has it? You reek of it right now! You're _no_ different than _any_ of them!"

"Stop! We're not going to attack you!" yelled Archie as he stopped, shaking his fist at the hostile Monster.

"Then taking your lives, and collecting your SOULS will be easier!" Her staff started to glow blue. "I want you to die, so don't you dare try to run away, Humans…"

 **'Her staff-'** Todd widened his eyes in horror as Archie continued to glare at the Monster, taking a step towards the Monster as he continued to scream. **'She's going to do something!'**

"Archie!" he yelled desperately, watching as the Monster slowly waved her staff sideways, creating a brilliant wall of blue light before her. "Get away!"

Before Archie turned to him, the wall of blue was shot forward. As soon as Archie tried to run away, he cried out in pain when it struck his body. He fell to his knees, and Todd saw how red dripped down onto the snow from under the dark brown coat Archie wore.

"I won't let you escape when you're still _alive_!" yelled Roxie as she readied another blue wall, shooting it towards Archie within seconds. " _Die already_!"

Before the attack struck him, Angie pushed him away, getting hit instead.

"Angie!" cried Todd in dismay as the brown haired girl tumbled across the ground.

Angie stiffly started to get up, clenching her fists as a cluster of white was hurled towards her. Before she could move out of the way, she jerked sideways with a scream, narrowly missing the attack that exploded upon impacting the ground. She crashed to her knee, attempting to get up again, but then she stopped. Slowly Angie put her hand on her leg with a sharp intake of breath, sliding it down to her boot while grimacing.

Todd widened his eyes as he watched her, willing her to get up and run... but for some reason she wasn't… She still rested her hand on her boot, not making an effort to get up now.

"Get up, Angie!" yelled Archie with frustration. "She'll kill you!

"I can't!" shouted Angie shrilly.

"Why can't you!?" asked Todd with worry, taking a step forward as her stared at her. "You need to!"

Angie breathed in and out quickly, and soon her forlorn gaze met Todd's as she shouted raggedly, "Get out of here! I can't move!"

The shaggy brown haired boy shook his head, keeping his feet firmly to the ground as he watched as Roxie's paw reared back. " _No_!" he yelled out distraughtly, "we can't leave without you!"

"Just _do_ it!" she screamed hysterically before Roxie hurled a huge white cluster at her, shaking her head madly as he thought he caught the sight of tears trickling down her cheeks. "I don't want you guys d-" She was struck, flying backwards before landing with a sickening crack.

As Todd gazed at her, he felt his blood go cold the moment she wasn't pushing herself back up. He shook his head, mentally yelling at Angie to get up when he noticed how a tinge of blue glowed from her chest, and soon a light blue coloured heart rose up and floated above her limp figure.

" _One_ down…" growled the Monster, swinging around to Todd as she adjusted her grip on her staff. " _Five_ more to go…"

Suddenly Todd's arm was grabbed by Edgar, and instantly he was tugged away as he heard Edgar speak, "We can't stay here!"

"What about Angie!?" cried Todd as he struggled to look back at his friend. "We can't leave her!"

"She's _dead_ , Todd!" croaked Edgar, sounding wretched as a stone bridge came into view. "And we're going to end up like _her_ if we don't _go_!"

The dark blue-eyed boy let Edgar steer him away, breathing heavily as Angie's still body flashed through his mind. **'Angie's dead…'** He felt heat behind his eyes as he and Edgar raced across the bridge. **'Angie's** _ **dead**_ **…'** He bit his lip, closing his eyes as lukewarm liquid started to spill from his eyes. **'ANGIE'S DEAD!'**

The moment they got to the other end, Todd dug his feet into the ground, preventing Edgar from going any farther. As the black boy gave him a disbelieved look, Todd sobbed harshly, "Why did she do _that_!?"

For a few seconds his friend stared at him, frowning before he looked away. "I… It was for us… If she hadn't done that, Archie would have been the one who's dead right now-"

"What does _that_ matter!?" shouted Todd as he shook. "She's dead! She's _dead_ because of _us_ \- because of _that_ Monster!"

"Todd, I hate what happened as well," said Edgar sadly, not looking at him as he stared off into the distance. "She shouldn't have died… I wish it couldn't have happened, but it did." With a pause, Edgar looked back, and Todd noticed the boy's eyes trickled with tears. "We… we need to regroup, and we need to hide from the Monsters. We need to try to not be affected by this, even if it's hard to, so that we can not get killed as well."

"But-" as Todd began to wail; he heard thuds from behind him. He was about to pull out his revolver when he saw that Archie was limping towards them, and Winnie was holding his hand with her head lowered. Todd widened his eyes slightly from the dark red stain on Archie that slipped from Archie's shirt down to his shorts, slightly dripping still. As soon as Todd heard Archie's laboured breathing, Todd ran over to meet them, catching Archie the moment he began to fall forward. "Archie!"

"H-Hey," rasped Archie as he struggled to move his head up, blinking slowly as he frowned. "That was rougher than I thought it would be…"

As Todd snaked his arm around Archie's back and under the orange haired boy's arm, he began to help his best friend off the bridge, gently resting the orange haired boy down on the snow before taking a seat beside him. When he took a look at Winnie, he asked sternly, "Do you still have some Spindlesnaps left, Winnie?"

Winnie blinked for a bit, her bleak expression tore at Todd's heart as she went to the satchel. She took out a few russet and yellowy orange mottled cookies, breaking off a few pieces before offering them to Archie. As the boy began to nibble at them, a few seconds later he was wolfing down any that Winnie handed to him. After swallowing five cookies, Archie jumped up, grinning merrily as he patted his stomach. " _Man_ , those cookies were _good_!"

Todd let out a sigh of relief, glad that the Spindlesnaps worked their wonders on his best friend once again.

"Where's Marley?" asked Edgar sharply, looking around as he soon stared back to the bridge. "Did she get killed too?"

Archie only rubbed the back of his head. "I… I sort of heard her say somethin' about distracting that dog monster…"

"You let her do that!?" snapped Edgar suddenly, clenching his fists as he glared at Archie. "She could be _dead_!" Just as he was about to march towards the bridge, he stopped when Todd spotted someone heading towards them. With a sigh of relief, Todd saw Marley strut towards them, shaking off the powdery snow that clung to her pink tutu.

"There you are!" spat Edgar as he crossed his arms, moving back to let Marley past as she continued to swipe at the snow on her. "What do you think you were doing!?"

"Ugh, don't get temperamental, Edgar!" hissed Marley as she raised her chin up, rolling her brown eyes as she growled, "I was just making sure Archie and Winnie got away…"

"You're normally one to run away from danger, Marley," grumbled Edgar as he glared at his sister. "Next time, do that."

Marley simply snorted, crossing her arms.

"B-But, Angie's…" Winnie sniffled, looking down as she pressed her small hands to her eyes.

Todd closed his eyes, feeling the thick sting in his heart as he felt heat behind his eyes again. But this time, he remembered what Edgar told him. As much as he wanted to mourn Angie right now, they were still in danger. And if they grieved… they probably would be killed. Plus…

Painfully Todd stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his sister as he shook. "I know, Winnie… I hate this too. But we need to go, we can't stay here."

He had to be strong for his sister. He had to be, no one else could do that for Winnie right now, not even Archie. And if he wasn't strong for her, it would hurt her more than Angie's death did.

In response, his sister cried in his embrace.

* * *

When everyone recovered enough from the events that had happened, they found themselves in what seemed to be a town. The first sign told them it was Snowdin.

Todd could only be amazed that they were so close to a town, but he didn't quite feel up to exploring it. Right now, they had to prioritize getting out of here, but he could tell that his sister and friends needed rest. Not only because of the recent events, but because of the fact that they had a long trip through Snowdin Forest.

Edgar suggested they should find a place to sleep first, so Todd sadly knew they had to ask around.

Todd caught the sign that said 'SHOP' swinging from the first building, and he felt as though it might be a good place to look. So they did.

All five of them entered the shop, immediately surrounded by orange walls, glowing from the lantern that rested beside a weary old looking rabbit that was sitting at the counter. It wore a long lilac coloured dress with a dusty green shawl over it, so he felt it must have been a female Monster.

As they were about to reach the counter, the creamy-furred rabbit squinted their eyes from behind their spectacles and peered down at them, jolting at once.

" _Humans_!" spat the Shopkeeper, her grizzled voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "How _dare_ you enter my shop!" Without a moment to lose, the old rabbit instantly lunged for a broom that had been leaning against a shelf.

At once Winnie screamed, clutching onto Todd's arm as the Monster raised it above her head, about to swing it down when a cheery voice chimed through the shop.

"Granny, I got the thread you wanted me to-" Upon turning around, Todd spotted a bipedal purple-furred bunny who wore a frilly tank top (which caused Todd to wonder why she was wearing something that conflicted with the weather) and grey slacks enter the Shop. She stopped at once when she looked at them, her round eyes stark with surprise as she looked up at the older rabbit. "Granny, what's going on?"

"Violet, be a good dear and let Granny deal with these _fleas_ ," said the grandmother sweetly, apparently restraining her anger a little as she readied her swing again. "These are _not_ customers-"

"Whoa there Granny, we just wanted to browse your wares!" protested Archie as he shook his fist at the old rabbit, making her glare at him. "And that makes us _your_ customers!"

 **'Huh?'** Todd turned to his best friend in confusion. **'We're not here to do that…?'**

"Wow, such service this place has…" added Marley with a sneer. "Throwing their customers out and threatening to attack them with a rickety broom? I've seen better hospitality in other stores…"

 **'Uh…?'** Todd had no clue what was going on.

"Bite your tongues!" spat the Shopkeeper as she struck the ground, nearly swatting Winnie who was by now hyperventilating and trembling beside Todd. Todd narrowed his eyes, stepping in front of his sister protectively as the Shopkeeper went on crabbily, "I have a say in who shops and who needs to hop out of here, _Humans_! I can refuse my service to anyone who poses a threat, especially if they are _disgusting_ _Humans_!"

Just as she was about to deal another blow, a gasp sounded from behind Todd, "What are those!?" The grandmother stiffened when the little rabbit hopped over, standing in front of Archie and blocking him from the angry Shopkeeper. " _So_ _cool_!"

As Todd turned to the Monster child, he saw that she was excitedly bouncing up and down as she gushed, "I've never seen gloves like that before- or that _neck_ _thingy_!"

" _Violet_ -" The grandmother snorted as the little bunny didn't seem to pay attention to her.

"What thingy?" asked Archie as he frowned at her in confusion, soon widening his eyes as a grin spread onto his face. " _Oh_! Did ya mean my bandana?"

"A _'bandana'_...?" The moment the purple bunny stopped, she tipped her head sideways as she pointed and asked, "Is that the neck thingy?"

Upon slipping it out of its tie, Archie held it out as he boasted, "This is a bandana, you can wear it around you neck-" He put it around it neck, earning an ooh from the little Monster before he wrapped it around his forehead. "-and… you can have it on your head! It makes anyone _manly_!"

"Whoa! So it's a neck thingy that can be worn on your neck as a triangle and a scarf on your head, and it makes people _manly_!?" asked the bunny in awe.

"But of course, it has my abs drawn on it!" chirped Archie smugly, jabbing his thumb into his chest. "How else can it be _so_ manly?"

Everyone stared at Archie who continued to grin.

" _Seriously_ …?" groaned Edgar as he slapped his forehead. "He's telling a little kid that?"

"That sounds _so_ wrong…" groaned Marley as well. "I feel ready to throw up from hearing _that_ disgusting information."

Todd could only shrug. "I didn't know it was his abs… so I guess it's a bragging right?"

Edgar only stared at him, not even saying anything. Todd could only realize that there were no words to describe how horrible his opinion was on Archie's bandana.

The little Monster wasn't disturbed by the information surprisingly enough; she was wide-eyed in awe as she murmured breathlessly, "That's _so_ cool…" At once she pivoted to her grandmother, her clenched small paws pressed against each other as she asked aloud in astonishment, "Granny, how come we don't have that?"

"It's _not_ for _Monsters_!" snapped her grandmother.

"But we should have it!" yelped the bunny before she whipped to Archie, hopping up and down. "How much do you want for your…" She paused in her hop and speech, silent for a second or two before she continued to ask, " _Bandana_... and gloves?"

As Todd watched the grandmother's face flush with red, Archie's face became white as a sheet. "W-Wha- H-How much?" he asked nervously. "What do ya mean by, _'How much'_?"

"Don't you dare try to _haggle_ for it from that _Human_ , Violet!" growled the grandmother as she trembled in anger. "You know our policies! We don't buy trash from customers, nor do we _ever_ _consider_ doing it with those _disgusting_ _fleas_!"

" _Aw_ …" whined Violet as her face fell. For a few seconds she stayed saddened before she perked up. "Oh! Can I borrow it?"

" _Violet_!" snarled the hostile Shopkeeper. "Did you hear what I _said_!?"

"I only want to make designs for it, and when I'm done I'll give it back to you!" said the little Monster anxiously, soon clasping her hands together as she bowed her head. " _Please_! I really like how they look!"

"But why do you want to make designs for them?" asked Todd warily.

"I want to sell them in the shop!" chirped the bunny, grinning as she explained, "One day I'm going to be running this shop, so I want to sell the wares that I think every Monster will want!"

"Until my dust is scattered, I won't let those atrocities be sold!" growled the grandmother coldly.

"And I think a bandana would be cool to have, it's a two-in-one accessory!" piped the frilly tank top wearing Monster as she gave a thumbs up. "It's so cool!"

"Well, well, well." Archie grinned back, his eyes glowing as he spoke, "I knew I would make a sensation one day…"

"Did you?" asked Edgar flatly.

"No, not really until now," replied Archie which caused Edgar to give him one of his renowned unimpressed stares. "But I know now it'll be a sensation!" He turned to face everyone as he exclaimed joyfully, "I'm leaving my mark on the world, guys! Isn't it great!?"

Todd watched as Edgar and Marley sweat dropped, soon turning to Archie as he chuckled, "Yep, it sure is, Archie…"

Winnie nodded happily with a smile. "Yeah!"

"I promise to give them back as soon as I can!" said the little Monster as Archie handed over his gloves and his 'manly' bandana. "How long are you staying in Snowdin?"

At once Todd stiffened, meeting the eye of the Shopkeeper who leered at them closely. His throat suddenly dried up, and he knew that there was no way they should tell the Monsters how long they were staying. For all he knew, they could alert the Royal Guard, then Todd, his sister, and his friends would all be killed by them… just like Angie was.

When he shot a wary look to Archie, Archie's grin fell and he blinked soon, turning back to the little Monster who continued to stare at them expectantly. "Uh… we're not sure."

"Oh, then I'll try to be fast so I don't miss you guys!" chirped Violet as she giggled. "I'm going to start on them now!" Before she ran out the door, she swung back and shouted, "If you need a place to stay, check out my Grampy's inn! You can check it out on the other side of the building!"

" _Violet_! Don't you _dare_ invite these _fleas_ to _stay_!" scolded the Shopkeeper, soon glaring at the door that was closed hard. After a few seconds her eyes slid over to them, and Todd could only cringe when she raised her broom again. " _Get_ … OUT!"

" _Run_!" he shouted as he grabbed Winnie's hand, bolting away as the Monster went hurdling towards them.

The moment he got out onto the snow, he made sure he wasn't close to the Shop entrance when the Shopkeeper stood in the archway. For a long time she glared at them darkly, soon snorting before she reentered the Shop. As soon as she was gone, Archie, who was staring at the door, shook his head. " _Sheesh_ … that Monster was such a _sauerkraut_!"

"No kidding…" As Edgar panted, he adjusted his glasses as he frowned. "She nearly broke my spine in half on the way out!"

" _Ugh_ , what's what Monsters are!" Marley growled as she crossed her arms. "Horrible creatures that are trying to make us _want_ to kill them!"

"But of course, we won't," replied Edgar as he turned to his sister. "It would give them a reason to want to kill us more, Marley."

All Marley did was turn her head away from him. " _Hmph_ , I guess so…"

For some reason, Todd felt that the way she said that didn't seem quite right.

"Well, now we know where we can rest…" grumbled Edgar as he pointed to a door on the other end of the building. "We might as well go in."

"Yeah," said Todd with a grimace. "Let do that."

Todd went in first, hearing his boots clack against the hard floor of the wooden room as he spotted a counter ahead of him. Within moments he noticed how a huge grizzled maroon rabbit sat behind it, who had a white curly mustache and beard that dangled just below its chin. It was wearing a brown checkered vest over a long-sleeved white shirt and had small glasses near the end of his pink nose. Todd could assume that was the grandfather that Violet spoke of.

He was chatting with a small peach-furred rabbit, who wore a orange dress and had a white bow resting between her upright ears, who had her full attention on him. She blinked when she turned her head sharply to them, gasping the moment all five of them stood a few steps away from the counter.

"Grampy!" she softly exclaimed, tugging on his paw which caused him to look down at them.

With a few lazy blinks, he gave a chuckle as he spoke deeply, "I can see we have Humans in our company... What a day to see them again."

"H- _Humans_?" questioned the little bunny timidly, gazing at them wide-eyed as she leaned backwards. "L-Like the ones Granny told us-"

Right away Todd took a step back, grabbing Winnie's hand to prepare himself to run when the older Monster chuckled. He moved his paw behind the bunny, pushing her forward as he spoke calmly, "Ah-ah… we do not discriminate our customers, Ginger." He patted her head lightly before he continued, "Remember, we are to welcome them with warmth and care in Snowed Inn… We treat everyone with tolerance, be lenient no matter any reason that tells us to act otherwise." Inhaling, he closed his eyes. "After all, these Human children _do_ look weary."

Todd slowly relaxed, soon looking to Archie when he asked in surprise, "So you're _not_ going to bring out a broom like Granny did back there and-" He swatted his hand on the counter with a loud thud, startling the little Monster and causing her to jump. "BAM!"

The old rabbit chuckled at that. "Do not fret, Human children, I do not mind your presence here. Unlike my wife, Evelyn…" He blinked as he sighed. "After all that we have seen during the Old War, it was enough to make her hostile of any that walk the streets."

"So you're not going to throw us out?" asked Todd warily, keeping his gaze on the Monster.

"Of course not, we see many kinds of Monsters come and go around these parts, so it is a rare treat to have Humans come to my establishment," said the older bunny proudly, twitching his nose as he went on, "If I scared off any customer that came to stay, my family would be shivering in a cold hole right now. We need to be more welcome to any that are different from us, even if we have the right to hate them." He gave a wink to his granddaughter, who gave a few nervous nods in response.

For a few seconds he leaned down, soon bringing out a parchment that he placed on the counter. With a twitch of his nose, he closed his eyes. "Welcome to Snowed Inn, travelers. Do browse our accommodations, and please let us know your fancy."

Todd gave a glance to his sister and friends before he let go of Winnie's hand, moving towards the counter and picked up the parchment. For a few seconds he read it over:

 **-** **Snowed Inn's Accommodations** **-**

 **One bed, one Monster - 50 G  
One bed, two Monsters - 56 G  
One bed, three Monsters - 62 G  
Two beds, two Monsters - 72 G  
Two beds, three Monsters - 78 G  
Two beds, four Monsters - 84 G**

Scratching his head, Todd was quite bewildered by the pricing. It sure would be expensive to stay here… He knew that there were five of them, so until he knew what type of accommodations everyone would want, he wasn't sure how much they had to dish out in the end…

...If only he knew what 'G' was.

Upon looking back to his friends, he gave the parchment to Archie. "Okay, what type of rooming do you guys think we should get."

"Ah, beg my pardon. Before you decide, I forgot to mention that one of our rooms is currently occupied," said the old Innkeeper, closing his eyes as he stroked his fluffy mustache. "We only have three rooms left."

Marley sent a glare in the old Innkeeper's direction, soon looking at the parchment when Edgar was done with it. As she started to read through it, Edgar mused flatly, "It would seem as though the Underground isn't falling behind on inflation…"

"Yeah, no kidding!" said Todd with a grimace. "Why isn't it cheap?"

"Most hotels and motels, from what I heard, are expensive, Todd," noted Edgar with a bored look. "The same rules apply here."

"Th-This is the only inn in a-all of the Underground," said the little bunny Monster quietly, cringing the moment Todd and Edgar looked at her. For a few moments she twitched her nose before she went on nervously, "G-Grampy thinks the prices might r-rise one day if someone else st-starts one as well!"

"Oh _shush_ , my inn is the only one the Underground needs." With a snort of amusement, the old Monster's eyes sparkled as he patted his granddaughter's head, flattening her ears slightly in doing so. "I would like to see what some other Monster thinks is fine accommodation…"

When everyone had looked through the parchment, Todd soon asked curiously as he gazed at them, "So, which ones should we get."

"I don't want to share a room with anyone!" hissed Marley with a snort, turning away from them instantly.

"Duly noted." Adjusting his black glasses, Edgar soon blinked before he faced Archie. "I'm fine with sharing a room…"

"Alright! It'll be just like when we were five!" cheered Archie, punching Edgar in the arm and making the black boy wince and grimace. "I'm down for sharing a bed-"

"I meant, _'I'm fine with sharing a room'_ , but I strongly suggest we have our own beds," said Edgar flatly, making the curly haired boy falter slightly. "As much as I _like_ nostalgia… I don't like it _that_ much."

Rubbing the back of his head, Archie sheepishly tapped the wooden floor with his foot, letting out a chuckle. "Yeah… I'm down for that, no prob' at all, Edgar."

Edgar merely rolled his eyes in response, looking extremely unimpressed.

When Todd leaned down to his sister, he murmured to her as he looked into her blue eyes, "I think that leaves us sharing a room, Winnie. We should ask for two beds as well."

Winnie gave a nod at that.

As soon as they faced the counter again, Todd remembered something. The moment that he put the parchment back on the counter, he met the Innkeeper's eyes as he asked, "Um… what's 'G'?"

"So I guess you Human children do not know," chuckled the Innkeeper, soon reaching his large paw into his pocket before he held it pawprint up. When Todd looked at his paw, he saw a tiny golden triangle. "Our currency may be different than yours, now that I recall… This is Gold, commonly known as G to us Monsters."

"Oh!" Todd widened his eyes before he met Edgar's gaze. "I get it now." Meeting the old rabbit's eyes again, Todd nodded to him. "Thank you."

"It is no problem, Human child," said the Monster heartily. "Ever since we have come to the Underground, some parts of Human society, such as their currency, make Monsters uncomfortable. So King Asgore created a new currency to benefit us." He then chuckled. "King Asgore can be rather fickle at times when naming things, but I am rather fond of the name. You could say his inability to make good names makes him more of a Monster like the rest of us."

Todd furrowed his eyebrows, pondering about the praise he was hearing. He could only assume the Monsters always saw their king in a good light… unlike Toriel.

"Now then, have you decided upon your accommodations?" As the old Monster set his gaze on them, Todd nodded. "What will it be?"

"Two, two beds for two~ _and_ one, one bed for one~" sang Archie cheerfully as he grinned.

The Innkeeper chuckled warmly at Archie's jingle.

"How did you even say that without biting your tongue?" asked Edgar flatly, turning to the orange haired boy.

With a laugh, Archie replied, "Who _doesn't_ like a tune, Edgar? And who's to say that I would've done that?" He gave a thumbs up. "I told Grampy here what we wanted!"

"Indeed." Edgar merely adjusted his glasses.

"How about it, Grampy?" asked Archie cheekily. "Two, two beds for two~ _and_ one, one bed for one~"

Right away the old Innkeeper's eyes glowed warmly, and he nodded. "Very well, that will be 194G please."

Edgar furrowed his eyebrows when he put his hand on his chin. "Hmm… will this be able to cover it?" For a few seconds Todd stared at Edgar, wondering why he wasn't giving the Monster the amount they owed when Edgar's eye caught Todd's. Edgar sighed. "Will you please do the honours, Todd."

"O-Oh!" Todd widened his dark blue eyes, rubbing the back of his head instantly. "Got it…"

After he placed all the G he had on him on the counter, the Monster began to quietly count them up until his sad gaze rose up to them. "I am sorry, Human children, you are 169 Gold short."

"Wait- how much _do_ we have!?" asked Archie as his eyes widened.

"You currently have 25 Gold," responded the old Innkeeper sadly. "I am afraid that none of you can have a room."

"Aw c'mon, Grampy!" The orange haired boy pushed his hand down on the counter, shaking his other one as he spoke in dismay, "Can't ya give us some slack!?"

"I run a business, and I keep to my policies, Human child." The large rabbit dipped his head. "I am sorry."

Todd hung his head, sighing as he murmured, "It's alright… I can understand that you need to earn your living, sir."

As he grabbed Winnie's hand, ready to turn around to leave the inn, he heard Marley growl, "Hold it!"

Todd widened his eyes as Marley began to flick out Gold from the pockets of her coat, the old rabbit Monster catching the ones that were about to hit his granddaughter as a large pile soon formed.

"Marley!? What the-" Archie waved his hands around wildly as he shouted in appal, "Where'd ya get the _bucks_!?"

"Gold, Archie," corrected Edgar, earning a pout from Archie briefly. When the black boy turned to his sister, he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Now then, would you tell us where you got the Gold from Marley?"

The girl simply huffed, turning her head away as she crossed her arms. "I picked it up whenever I came across it."

"When!?" shouted Archie. "How long!?"

"Ever since you guys waited in that stupid clearing," snorted Marley with a growl, half closing her eyes as she raised her chin up. "Do we have enough _now_?"

The Innkeeper took a while to count up the Gold, soon pushing a small pile back to them when he nodded. "It would seem as though you had luck in finding the Gold, Human child."

"Ugh, it was on the ground, nothing else!" spat Marley as Todd went over to gather up the leftover Gold. "Can we please go to our rooms now!?"

For a while the Innkeeper was leaning under the counter, humming before he got back up and gave three differently coloured monochrome keys to the peach-furred bunny. "Ginger, would you be a dear and show our guests to their rooms?"

Ginger gave a shaky nod, soon taking the keys and hopping under the counter. Todd could only assume she was sitting on a stool before as they followed her up some stairs, reaching the next floor. It was dimly lighted and Todd could see four brown doors in the long wooden corridor.

"U-Um…" For a second Ginger blushed, fumbling with the keys before she nervously held out one. "O-One Monster, o-one bed room?"

Marley snatched the grey key from her, making the bunny Monster jolt in surprise. Her upright ears dropped down before she turned slightly to point. "E-End of the hall… t-to your r-right."

Right away the tall girl stalked down the hall.

For a few seconds the bunny quivered, wide-eyed before she blinked, turning back to them. She shakily held up the next key. "U-Um… T-Two Monsters, t-two beds room?"

"Aha, that would be us!" cried Archie boldly as he grabbed the dark grey key, not as forceful as Marley was, and trotted down the hall. "Where to?"

"E-End of the hall, t-to your l-left."

"Thank you!" With that, Archie shoved the key into the lock.

Edgar gave a nod to the Monster before he walked over, entering the room Archie just bolted into.

When the Monster raised the last key, Todd leaned down and held out his hand. It seemed to catch the granddaughter by surprise, but she soon dropped the silver key into his hand. "T-To your left," she timidly said. G-Grampy will switch out the b-beds for the o-ones that will be n-needed…"

As she went past Winnie, Winnie gasped before she went to his side, hastily opening the satchel before running after the peach-furred bunny. Todd turned around to see that Winnie was handing the surprised Monster a cookie, and he smiled gently at that.

He quickly opened the door, pushing it open to find himself in a small room. Two beds sat in the corners, with a tall skinny lamp sitting between them that gave out a soft glow. Todd blinked before he went to sit down on one of them, gathering his hands together until his sister came into the room. The moment she hopped onto her bed, letting her legs dangle as she sat, Todd spoke, "It's a pretty nice room, huh?"

Winnie smiled slightly, soon lowering her head.

For a few seconds Todd stared at her, wondering why his sister was so silent when he heard her sniffle.

"Winnie?" he breathed softly.

"Y-Yes, Big Brother?" she squeaked nervously.

"Is something wrong?"

Winnie didn't reply, instead giving out another sniffle.

At once Todd frowned, getting up to close the door. After he locked it, he joined his sister, taking a spot beside her on the bed. "Hey… are you okay?"

The moment Winnie started to quiver, she gave out a whimper, "I don't want to be here… I want to be home!"

"I know, Winnie," he said sadly, closing his eyes as she continued to snivel. "But we'll get home, I know we will."

"B-But I want to be home now!" she cried as she let out a sob. "W-With Mommy, a-and Daddy… I miss them!"

"Shh… me too, Winnie…" he murmured as he pulled his sister close, rubbing her back as she shook. "Right now, more than anything, I want to be home. Even at Toriel's house… I wanted to be home."

"…T-Toriel was like Mommy…"

With a sigh, Todd grimaced. "Is that why you didn't want to leave, Toriel?"

"Y-Yes…"

Slowly Todd looked up, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "I'm sorry about before."

Winnie looked at him, her blue eyes stretched as she asked timidly, "A-About what?"

"I brought us out here…" He shook his head. "If I hadn't gotten angry at Toriel's house, we wouldn't be here." He trembled as he croaked, "Angie wouldn't be dead, and we'd still be with Toriel where you, me… everyone would've been safe. I…" Todd scowled, breathing heavily. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I knew what was out there, but I still made us leave, putting us all in danger!"

Todd released his sister, grabbing wads of his hair and pulled at it slightly. "It's all _my_ fault! I could have prevented this, but I didn't! I'm making everyone suffer!" With a shaky breath, he clenched his eyes closed. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for me! I shouldn't have brought you along that night, but I did! I can't stand myself for doing this to you, Winnie! Why-"

He felt a hand rest on his arm, and he slowly opened his eyes, turning to his sister as she stared at him sadly. "Y-You're not bad, Big Brother… You're not bad."

"But I am, Winnie!" he croaked, shaking as he tightened his grip on his hair from the stress he felt. "I brought you along with me that night because you were scared of being left alone, and now… we're stuck here!"

She hugged him gently. "I-I still think you're not bad."

He was about to deny that when he breathed in deeply, glancing at his sister before he grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry, Winnie…"

"Please don't feel bad, you're good," murmured Winnie as she leaned against him. "I love you, Big Brother…"

With a sigh, Todd bit his lip. He couldn't believe he was ranting when all he was trying to do was to comfort his sister. It was horrible that he was being rude to her, and he attempted to push away his stress as he closed his eyes. He returned her hug for a few seconds before he got up, putting his hand on her shoulder then went back to his bed.

"I love you too, Winnie."

* * *

Todd awoke the to pounding on the door, jerking up with alarm to blearily stare at it before he pulled his blanket off of him. As he walked over to it, he jumped the moment it abruptly swung open, banging against the wall just as Archie bolted to him.

"There's loads of Monsters outside!" shouted Archie as he seized Todd's shoulder's, making Todd flinch the moment he hissed, "I saw that Rover monster talkin' to them! We gotta go, Todd!"

"Are you sure?" asked Todd seriously.

"Yes, there's no time to lose, Todd," said Edgar sternly as he turned sharply into the room. "I just saw them go into the Shop below us."

"And why is that important…?" asked Todd tiredly as Archie finally let go, rubbing his eyes as he let out a yawn.

"Todd, that Shopkeeper hates us!" snapped Edgar with frustration. "She's going to tell them we're here!" Todd widened his eyes in horror, watching the black boy leave the room hastily. "If we go now, we might be able to get out of here before they encounter us!"

Right away Todd ran to Winnie's bed, shaking her awake as he spoke quickly, "Winnie, we have to go!" The moment she got herself up, blinking sleepily, he went to grab his cowboy hat, his revolver and its holster, and slung on Toriel's satchel. As Winnie got out of bed, he grabbed her hand and apron after putting the frying pan into the satchel, making her yelp in surprise as he hissed, " _Quickly_! We don't have time to tie on your apron!" After that he put Winnie's apron into the satchel before striding out the door.

As Todd and Winnie stepped out into the hall, Marley spat as she was pushed forward by her brother, "Edgar! Stop shoving me!"

"You'll thank me later for this!" said Edgar curtly as his sister growled, running ahead while slipping on her coat. "Hurry!"

As they ran down the stairs, Todd and Winnie got to the bottom last. The Innkeeper had been showing Ginger a burly book when Archie yelled over his shoulder as he sprinted towards the door, catching the Monsters' attention, "Thanks for not throwing us out!"

"Don't you _dare_ tell them we were here!" snarled Marley as she followed Archie out the door, and Edgar trailed after her.

Todd gave a glance to the Innkeeper, stopping briefly at the counter to give back the keys. With a nod to the old Monster, he murmured, "Thank you for letting us stay here… We appreciate what you've done, and we won't forget this."

"Oh you're welcome, Human child," said the Monster contently with a nod, stroking his fluffy mustache. "It was grand to see another Human again."

"Bye!" called Winnie as she waved, and Todd pulled her along as quickly as he could. "Thank you!"

As Todd got out the door, running after his friends who were ahead of him, he heard a familiar voice. " _Oh my gosh_ , there's the trespassers I told you about!"

Todd could only widen his eyes in dismay as he turned his head around, spotting Rover beside a huge bipedal grey and white Sheepdog who had a long, thick white mustache that hung limply below his shoulders, "Rufus! That's the one that rolled around r-with me!"

"Ah, good work, Rover," rumbled out Rufus, nodding as the bangs that lay above his eyes shifted. "Do you know if Roxie's around?"

"I have no clue, but she said she r-would handle them!" whined Rover as his ears folded down. "I haven't seen her since then!"

Rufus slightly grimaced at that. "Strange…" For a few seconds he shifted before he turned to two identical white bipedal dogs that stood with them. "Martin, Harvey- go find Roxie and get her here!"

"Yes, Rufus!" barked the two before they ran off in the other direction.

"Theodore, Jessie, Rover-" The huge Monster unsheathed a long sword, holding it in front of him as he pointed it at Todd. " _With me_!" he roared, growling out harshly, "Let us smite down these Humans!"

"Humans?" echoed Rover with confusion, tilting his head to one side. "R-What Humans!?"

"The Humans that are getting away, Rover!" growled Rufus before he pointed at Todd. "That's a Human, Rover! Now be a good chap, and let's have at them!"

As Todd turned around, bringing out his revolver as he pulled Winnie along, he heard Rover shout, "You mean r-we have to _still_ kill them!? But they played r-with _me_!"

"Oh come on, Rover, must you go back on your pledge?" grumbled Rufus as Todd heard heavy thumps from behind him. "If you're not going to aid me in killing them, then you really need to reconsider your choice for joining the Royal Guard!" Todd quickened his steps upon hearing the heavy footsteps behind him. "Theodore! Jessie! _With me_!"

Just as he passed by a library (that he swore was spelt wrong, but didn't double check to make sure), he felt Winnie's hand slip from his. He halted at once, swinging around to yell out as Winnie slowly got up from where she had fallen, " _Winnie_!"

He reached down, pulling her up with a grunt when he froze upon seeing that the Sheepdog Monster's long sword was raised above them. "You have met your end!"

Todd quickly pulled Winnie out of the way Monster's slash, having to pull Winnie close and widened his eyes when the sword started to turn blue. Upon stepping back, Todd yelped when a series of orange knives were thrown at him by a Monster that looked like a Bulldog and calico cat hybrid. Swiftly as he could, Todd moved back and forth through them upon remembering how Rover's rolling attack didn't harm him if he wasn't still. He took a brief glance to find that the long sword was swung at him again, freezing up in shock only to widen his eyes that it didn't hurt him. **'It didn't hurt me!? How!?'**

" _Big Brother_!" upon hearing Winnie's cry, he turned to find that another Great Pyrenees was standing beside him with two short swords ready. This caused him to yelp as he struck his revolver at the incoming attacks when he had no time to dodge. When the Monster growled, he took the chance to pull Winnie away and started to dash away with her.

As he got them over to where a river ran alongside him on his left, he shrieked when something struck him in the back. "GAH!?" He crashed to the snowy ground, releasing Winnie as he screwed his eyes up. Pain coursed through his back, and he breathed heavily as he struggled to get up, trying to regain his balance when crunches in the snow informed him the Royal Guard members were catching up. Todd attempted to walk forward, crying out in agony before he buckled over, feeling the pain continue to pang through him as he felt Winnie tug at his hand desperately. It was almost unbearable to keep standing…

 **'I can't… move…'** he thought fearfully as he gritted his teeth. **'I'm going to get us killed if Winnie stays with me! She has to leave me behind!'**

He shot a look at his sister, shouting out shrilly as he grimaced from the intense throbbing he felt, " _Winnie, run_!"

"But what about you!?" cried Winnie as he pushed her forward, only for her to turn back to stare at him in horror. " _Big Brother_!?"

"Just _go_!" he grounded out as the crunches grew louder. "They'll get you if you don't!" When she stared at him petrified, shaking her head while trembling, he wailed, " _Just go_! I can't bear the thought of you dying, Winnie! I don't want you to die!"

"No…" whispered Winnie weakly.

"There they are, Rufus!" came a sharp female growl from behind Todd. "Good throw, Theo! You got the older one wounded!"

"Thanks, Jessie!" howled the other member. "Let's do this!"

"Yes, the time as come for the Canine Unit to claim glory for taking down these Humans!" yelled Rufus, and Todd saw a shadow fall over him. Winnie let out a shriek, edging back as her hands covered her mouth. Todd could only watch her eyes grow wide as Rufus continued boldly, "King Asgore will be pleased that the SOULS he wants are collected! And that will bring us closer to breaking the BARRIER, freeing all of Monsterkind from the Underground!"

Todd trembled, staring at his sister as he croaked out sadly, " _Go_ … _please_ …"

Winnie began to cry, backing away more as Todd stared at her sadly. **'Go…'** He closed his eyes, shaking as he willed his sister to get to safety. **'You need to live…'** His heart thudded against his chest, his back ached in agony as he felt it seep out blood, and he bit his lip. **'I love you, Winnie… this is for you!'**

" _Todd_!"

His eyes widened upon seeing Archie and Edgar running towards him, Edgar pulling Winnie to Marley as Archie continued to dash forward.

"What are you doing here!?" yelled out Todd in horror as his best friend nearly got to him. "Get out of here, Archie!"

"I'm not going to let you die!" yelled Archie as he grabbed the revolver that Todd now noticed was a feet away from him. Upon lifting it up, Archie charged towards him while clenching it. "You're the only one who can be _my_ Bestie, Bestie!"

Before Todd knew it, he heard the clang of metal, and he heard a bang go off. Rufus grunted in pain, and from the corner of his eye Todd noticed something flaky falling to the ground beside him. "You… you don't know when to give up, do you, Humans?"

"I'm not going to let you kill my best friend!" Todd was tugged to his feet, pulled behind Archie as he swung the revolver back and forth, making the three Royal Guard members back away. " _Get back_! I have a revolver, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Todd noticed how the Sheepdog Monster had grey dust trailing from his shoulder, and he widened his eyes as he watched it drift away. **'Dust…?'**

"Tough talk for a Human who will soon die…" growled the Calico Bulldog Monster, snorting as he flipped the small knife in his paws. "Your SOULs will be ours, the Underground's, King Asgore's…" He reared his paw, flipping the knife up in the air before catching it as he curled back his lip. "I won't miss, Rufus."

"Then bring them down to their end!" shouted Rufus as he leaned down with a grunt, trying to retrieve his fallen long sword. "Have at them with all you got!"

"Die!" shouted the Calico Bulldog Monster, swinging his paw forward.

" _No_!" shouted Archie distraughtly.

Just as the knife shot at Todd, Todd was shoved to the ground. He heard a painful gasp, and he raised his head to find that Archie had blood oozing from his chest. As Archie slowly stepped back, breathing huskily, Rufus halted in front of Archie and slashed his long sword at Archie, knocking the orange haired boy down. Within moments he raised it again, driving it through Todd's best friend's chest.

Todd numbly stared at Archie, watching the blood spill from where the sword was embedded in Archie's chest, hearing a sickening crack as Archie went limp. Within moments that the sword was pulled out, which was slick with scarlet, an orange glow filled Archie's chest before an orange heart sailed up from it.

"Smashing work, Theodore!" remarked Rufus before turning to Todd. "Now then, it's due time to finish off this one…"

Todd blinked, feeling nothing as the long sword was raised above him. He didn't have the energy to move, he couldn't when his best friend laid dead before him.

The boy he did everything with…

" _We'll do it one day, Todd!"_ Archie's voice rang through his mind, the one that promised him that they'd climb the mountain together, and Todd could picture his grin. _"You and me,_ Bestie _! Maybe other peop's if we get mor' friends! We'll climb that Mount Ebott!"_

" _Yeah, Archie, let's do it! I wanna see what's up t'ere!"_ Todd remembered how happy he was back then, how naïve he was back then... _"We're_ Besties _, we got to do it_ toget'er _! I don't wanna to go wit'out you, so don't you forget me!"_

" _Of course not, Todd! We_ are _Besties!"_

" _Yeah, Bestie!_ Always _!"_

…Was _gone_.

Before he could feel the sword go through him, he heard it clang for some reason, not hitting him. He felt himself get pulled away, watching as Marley stood in front of the Royal Guards, turning his head to see that Edgar had his arm and revolver…

He absently glanced back at Archie's body, watching as his blood poured out of it.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! =3**

…

 **EeveeGen9988:** ***all the vacuums EeveeGen9988 used are plugged, and confetti is still on the ground* …Well, I guess I need to go back to using a broom… *hastily grabs the broom and starts sweeping***

 **It was a little bit hard transitioning to this part of the story, considering how things were left off in** _ **The Cavern**_ **… so I have to wonder how I'll manage the next chapters…**

 **Sadly, this chapter would have been posted on time if I hadn't been roped into some things the day before the last posting day… But I guess it can't be helped when people need you. *shrugs***

 **Anyway, see you in two weeks for the next installment! =D**

 **…**

 **Item Check:**

 **\- Spindlesnap Cookies (10): A biazzare hybrid between** **pumpkin and gingerbread, it is said that these cookies require an acquired taste to enjoy them. Heals 4 HP.**

 **\- Carrots (5): A simple carrot that's good for your eyes, fit for any snowman. Heals 7 HP.**

 **\- Small Triangles (25): Strange golden triangles that Rover gave you, Edgar believes its some kind of currency.**

 **Gold (21): The currency of the Underground, also known as G. Apparently Monsters would rather have triangle coins instead of round ones.**

 **\- Silver Inn Key: An old fashioned key for one of the inn rooms at Snowed Inn.**

 **\- Winnie's Frying Pan: A small frying pan that Winnie loves to carry around, it packs quite the punch...**

 **\- Winnie's Apron: The apron that their mother made for Winnie, Winnie never seems to take it off unless she needs to sleep.**

 **\- Bullet Pouch (250): The bullets that their father makes for Todd's gun, using them wisely would be best.**

 **...**

 **Fun facts about the chapter's development!**

 **\- Initially the plan was that Angie would have died in the last chapter, causing Todd grief and a drive to leave the Ruins to try and find Marley and Archie before it was too late! But then he would only find that Archie was killed before he got to Marley. So it would have been just Todd, Winnie, Edgar, and Marley going through Snowdin Forest… Yet, when I thought about it, it wouldn't be fair to not give Archie his time to shine, and it wouldn't make sense that Angie should die in the Ruins because it would create some issues for the story's canon and canon in general since Toriel has mentioned that there's no way Asgore would go back to the Ruins! So changes had to be made!**

 **\- The original plan was that Marley was going to sell Archie's belongings behind Todd's, Winnie's, and Edgar's backs in order to get enough funds for them to stay at Snowed Inn, and Todd was going to be furious with her for doing that.**

 **\- There was a conversation planned for Todd and Archie to have about the strain between Todd and Winnie, but it never worked out so it was cut from the chapter completely.**


	3. The Quagmire:

**The Fallen:**

 **I do not own Undertale, Toby Fox does!**

 **This story is written for [Shibuya Operation Story Storm].**

 **…**

 **Part 3: The Quagmire:**

* * *

Before Todd knew it, he was sitting in a cave, behind a waterfall that Edgar had found, beside his sister as they waited for Marley. Yet right now, that was the last place his thoughts were. All they were on was the fact that Archie was dead.

It repeated in his head.

Rufus knocking down Archie then stabbing Archie through the chest on the cold, snowy ground… which soon mixed into a pink slush from all the blood Archie lost.

He blankly stared at the ground as he leaned against the cave wall, not caring as the spray from the waterfall hit him. Even when Winnie put something in his hands, it didn't register to him what they were. He just held them numbly.

Winnie had tried to talk to him, but he ignored her, too occupied with the events that just occurred. He just couldn't take his mind off of what happened.

When the constant torrent of the waterfall was disrupted, footsteps fell into the small area, and Todd could only blink as they drew towards him…

"What the hell was wrong with you!?"

Todd was yanked to his feet, but he didn't even lift his head to look Marley in the eye as she growled, "You just sat there- trying to get yourself killed- and for what!? Because Archie saved you!?" She struck him in the face, making Winnie cry out in alarm as Marley spat, " _Pathetic_!"

Right away Todd felt the words seep in, the memory coming back to him once again. He was pathetic… he let his best friend die protecting him! And he couldn't even stop that! He trembled as he let out a snivel.

"What!? Are you going to cry now!?" He closed his eyes, wanting the images to go away, wanting nothing more than that right now. "Oh, _boohoo_! You're crying! If you're not man enough to take a death, cry for all I care! How pathetic, Todd!"

" _Marley_." Edgar's curt tone of voice got her attention. "That's enough!"

In response, Marley whipped to her brother, shoving Todd to the ground and he cried out from the pain that spiked in his sore back. "I busted my butt out there getting the Royal Guard to go away _all_ because he didn't have the sense to run, _Edgar_! Why shouldn't I give him crap!?"

"You're making it worse for Todd," replied Edgar grimly as he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, _I'm_ making this worse?" asked Marley loudly, taking an abrupt step to her brother. "I'm just laying down how moronic he was back there!"

"You can't do that to him, especially when Archie was just killed in front of him!" snapped Edgar as he shook his head, pointing at Marley. "How can you do this to our friend, Marley? To our _friend_ who just lost his _best friend_!?"

"Now I'm the bad person!? Is that what you're trying to say!?" retorted Marley with anger. "You're acting pretty ridiculous right now!"

"You're _being_ ridiculous! You're shoving salt into wounds that were just torn open, _Marley_! And you're not helping anyone, you're tormenting _everyone_!" shouted Edgar furiously as he clenched his hands. "Can't you see how it's affecting Todd _and_ Winnie!?"

Todd let himself cry, not caring if Marley mocked him more about it. It didn't matter to him; what mattered was that his best friend was dead.

The tall girl let out a deep-throated growl as she faced her brother, trembling as she roared, "I _don't_ care! All I get from you is _crap_!" With that she stalked past him, pushing her brother hard before she settled herself into a corner where she glared at them all.

Edgar gave a sigh, shaking his head before he crouched down, staring at Todd with a frown. "Are you okay, Todd?" Todd merely closed his eyes, willing the memories of the recent events to go away. "Todd?"

The image of the blood-covered longsword flashed through his mind, making him clench his hands, crumbling something.

"Has he even eaten yet, Winnie?" asked Edgar sternly.

"No…" replied the blonde sadly. "Big Brother hasn't…"

"It doesn't look like he's still bleeding, but that doesn't mean we should let him ignore that," said Edgar as he shifted beside Todd, and soon something was pressed into Todd's hands again. "You need to eat, Todd."

Todd opened his eyes, staring down at the cookies he limply held. He studied the mottled yellowy-orange sections that splattered across its surface, soon cringing when the blood that sprayed the ground from Archie's wound flashed through his vision. Instantly he felt sick, nauseous as he clenched his eyes closed, throwing the cookies far from him at the navy wall of the small hollow. Right away he breathed in and out heavily, trembling as he scrambled backwards until his sore back pushed against another stony wall.

A sigh sounded from nearby him. "At this rate, we'll be out of rations…" When he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder, he heard Edgar speak, "Look, Todd, you need to eat something. It's not healthy for you."

Todd didn't feel like eating, he felt ready to puke.

"What's wrong with Big Brother?" asked Winnie fearfully; prompting Todd to slightly frown as she squeaked, "He's not acting right! He's not talking to me! He's not eating! Why's Big Brother acting like this!? It's not like him!"

It was a few seconds before Edgar responded evenly, "I think he's in shock, Winnie. He's having a hard time processing what's going on around him, because his mind is still immersed with what just happened… "

"But why?"

"He saw Archie get killed right in front of him," came the boy's bitter reply, "that warrants him to feel the way he is right now. It's causing him so much stress his mind can't take it, thus he's in shock. And the grief he may feel at the moment might've broken him." Todd heard something shift nearby. "I don't exactly have the same bond that Todd had with Archie, nor have I lost anyone in such a way as he has, so I can only speculate what's going on with him right now."

When Todd felt something wrap around him, he blinked as he saw Edgar rearranging his dark grey coat across Todd's stomach. Soon he blinked again, aware of the fact that his sister was doing the same, making sure his legs were covered by her coat as her teary blue eyes gazed at him with worry.

"Will Big Brother get better?" asked Winnie quietly, sniffling as tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't like him like this…"

"I can say the same, Winnie. However, it takes time for people to get over something like this, so I can't say for sure how long he'll be this way. For now, we can only hope he will get better."

Todd closed his eyes, slowly feeling his consciousness drift away.

* * *

" _Just_ do _it!" Angie crashing hard into the ground, her broken body fully facing the sky. "I don't want you guys to di-"_

"One _down…" Roxie's grim expression as she adjusted her staff. "_ Five _more to go…"_

" _Yes, the time as come for the Canine Unit to claim glory for taking down these Humans!" Rufus' laughter consumed his hearing, distorting slightly. "King Asgore will be pleased that the SOULS he wants are collected! And that will bring us closer to breaking the BARRIER, freeing all of Monsterkind from the Underground!"_

" _Tough talk for a Human who will soon die…" The Calico Bulldog's sadistic face as he chucked the dagger, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Your SOULS will be ours, the Underground's, King Asgore's…"_

" _I'm not going to let you kill my best friend!" Archie was hit with an orange dagger. He was frozen for a moment before he was smacked down, slowly meeting the ground as though he was a feather. "_ Get back _! I have a revolver, and I'm not afraid to use it!" A longsword was jabbed straight into his chest, and blood squirted out as it was slid out, all around his limp form._

" _You just sat there- trying to get yourself killed- and for what!? Because Archie saved you!?" Marley's intense glare fully captured his vision. "_ Pathetic _!"_

" _What!? Are you going to cry now!?" Her hand rose before it whipped towards him. "Oh,_ boohoo _! You're crying! If you're not man enough to take a death, cry for all I care! How pathetic, Todd!"_

 _All the images ran on repeat, growing far more distorted each time they came to him… The voices were merging together in a disharmonic mantra, making him want to tear his heart out to stop it from throbbing in agony-_

 _He wanted it to stop! He wanted it to stop! He couldn't take it anymore!_

 **'** _ **STOP!'**_

Todd jerked awake, whipping his had around frantically until he froze. He soon recognized the rumbling of the waterfall to his left, the navy blue stony walls that encircled the hollow… He breathed shakily, sinking back against the wall as he lifted his hand up to feel his forehead, meeting the cold sweat that resided there. The heaviness in his heart made him close his eyes again, only to be tortured by another flashback, and soon he snapped his eyes wide-open as he sniffled. **'** _ **Angie**_ **…** _ **Archie**_ **… why did you have to die!? It's my fault! You were protecting us- you were doing it for us only because I made us go further! You're dead because of me!'** Slowly he let his arm flop onto his untidy makeshift blankets, which appeared to have moved during his sleep. **'...Dead because of _them_ …'**

Blinking, he felt tears once again leak from his eyes, silent as he was as he stared blankly at his sister and friends, who were sleeping peacefully. He could only wonder how they could have good dreams from all that had happened to them… It made him sort of frustrated that none of them were experiencing the same thing he was, while at the same time he felt slightly relieved they were coping with it better than he was. Especially Winnie…

As his gaze went back to Marley, he focused on how her white flecked tutu lay nearby the wall…

He frowned at once. **'Wait… the snow should've melted by now.'**

A strange feeling fell over him, making him uncomfortable as he furrowed his eyebrows. He found that it was cool in the cave, but at the same time it wasn't as cold as Snowdin. There should be no reason for the snow to not melt, yet he had a feeling that the Underground's snow could have been different than the Surface's…

" _No, it's_ too _cold… And it keeps melting…"_ Winnie's whimper echoed in his head.

Unless it wasn't.

Something felt wrong. He didn't know what made him feel like this, but he knew for certain something felt wrong. Or… was he becoming paranoid? He couldn't tell, but one thing that he did know was that the tutu had something on it that was triggering him in some way…

Despite the urge to stay sitting and go back to sleep, he slowly pulled Winnie's and Edgar's jackets off of him and got up.

Quietly he crept over to the tutu, lightly landing each of his feet as he crossed the hollow's floor. He moved carefully the moment he neared Marley, managing to reach the pink tutu without waking her up and crouched down the best he could.

Todd noticed how it was slightly paler than it should have been, some flecks resting on it from what he could see in the dim lighting that was present. In fact, when he poked it, he was alarmed by how many pale specks fluttered off of it, landing on the dark ground and creating a tiny mound.

 **'What the…?'**

As his mind whirled he turned to Marley, who had temporarily shifted in her sleep, noticing how her skin looked slightly pasty. He knew for certain that Marley didn't wear makeup, nor did he catch her carrying a makeup case at any time. Upon looking back at the tutu, he rubbed two fingers on the rim to feel a viscous substance on it, bringing them back to see they were sprinkled with it.

 **'Th-This…'** He shook as he stared at the grey mound. **' _This_ isn't snow! What is _this_!?'**

The substance wasn't melting, it wasn't cold, it was sticking to his fingers instead! It wasn't snow!

He wondered why it was on Marley's tutu, soon picking up the apparel item and taking a closer look as he held it up. He didn't have any experiences with tutus, but he knew for certain the sticky texture it had wasn't right! The moment he put it down, his hands were chalked with dust... dust that was eerily gluey.

Todd faintly remembered seeing something like this…

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_!?"

Freezing in shock, Todd widened his eyes before he was slammed into the hollow wall, crying out before trying to recover from the damage that was done to his ribcage. As he turned his head behind himself, he saw Marley standing behind him, her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

"Why were you looking at my tutu!?" screeched Marley harshly as her dark eyes became slits. "That's _mine_! No one should _ever_ snoop through _my_ belongings! And yet _you_ _did_!"

Todd frowned, narrowing his eyes slightly as he coolly spoke, "I was just looking at it-"

"Snooping! You were fucking _snooping_ through _my_ stuff!" snapped Marley as she clenched her fists, shaking as she screamed, "Do you know how low that is!? _Do_ _you_!?" For a second she huffed before she growled loudly, "Did Archie's death screw up your brain _more_ than I _thought_ _it_ _did_!?"

Right away Todd swung around to fully face her. "Take that back!" spat Todd harshly as he clenched his hands into fists. "How could you say that!?"

"Oh, who's to say I can't? My stupid brother!?" Marley half closed her eyes, giving out a snort. "Ugh, you really _are_ sensitive over the little things, aren't you, Todd? You're triggered over a meaningless statement!"

"It was _not_ _meaningless_!" retorted Todd angrily in a wail. "You downright insulted me and his death, and now you're acting like it wasn't important!" As he took a step towards her, he glared at her. "What's wrong with you!?"

"Please, I'm nowhere near any of that rubbish!" Marley shook her head, taking a step towards him as her hardened eyes met his dark blue. "I'm thinking about the truth, Todd! I'm just stating the facts, or do you think my brother should only be entitled to that!?" She stomped down hard. "Sticking out things that are _pointless_!?"

"Edgar does a better job at letting us know things that need to be known," growled Todd as he breathed in deeply, trembling as he jabbed his finger towards her. "You're disrespecting my best friend's death, me, and _my_ friend! Are you even listening to yourself over your _melodramatics_ , _Marley_!?"

"I can see that you're fucking brain-dead and annoying, Todd!" spat Marley as she trembled. "Now that I think about it… you were better off the way you were before I found you snooping with my tutu! _Silent_ , not making a _fuss_ …" She closed her eyes as she lifted her chin in the air. "And most importantly… you were _broken."_

"What's _wrong_ with you...?" growled Todd in irritation as he glared at her, making her tap her ballet flat at the ground in annoyance. "Why are you being _so_ _insensitive_!? This _isn't_ like you-"

"Oh, cough out your damn lungs, _Todd_!" snarled Marley as she swung around, stomping towards the waterfall. "You're being fucking annoying, and I can't stand another moment breathing the same _damn_ _air_ with _you_!"

"Where are you _going_!?" shouted Todd in anger, running after her as she slipped through the water. " _Marley_ -"

"Let her be."

Swinging around, Todd blinked in surprise as Edgar stared at him with a frown. "But she-"

"She needs time to calm down," said Edgar quietly, lowering his gaze as he sighed. "I think being down here is starting to get to her, but…" He bit his lip, soon shaking his head. The moment he met Todd's gaze, he spoke, "I'm partly relieved I'm not the only one who's noticed how Marley is behaving…"

Todd raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed how Marley's been acting?" asked Edgar grimly, clenching his hands as he closed his eyes tightly. "She's… different. I can't say for sure why she's different, but she is…"

The dark brown haired boy gave a growl, " _She_ insulted Archie's death, _she_ insulted the _both_ _of_ _us_!" With a shake of his fists, he scowled at Edgar. "Of course she's different!"

For a few seconds Edgar was silent, opening his brown eyes to stare at Todd before Edgar turned his gaze away. "Yes, that is certainly valid," he mused resignedly. "Ever since she left us to be alone back in Snowdin Forest, ever since she's been scouting for us…" He sighed with a shake of his head. "Marley's been different. I can't figure it out, and it's honestly confounding me…" He briefly muttered something that Todd couldn't catch before he went on sadly, "I know what she said about Archie and us was wrong, but something isn't adding up about her. All I know is nothing at the moment, and we can't really do anything about it."

Todd scowled at Edgar, pondering about what his friend said briefly before the black boy finished, "All we can do now is wait for her to come back."

With that, the boy walked over to where he was sleeping before and sat down, taking his glasses off and placing them nearby himself. When Edgar closed his eyes, breathing out a heavy sigh, Todd couldn't help but notice how stressed Edgar seemed.

Todd merely stared at him for a few seconds before he went back to the coats and sat down, closing his eyes as he fell asleep once more.

* * *

The moment Todd was awake again, he noticed how Edgar was facing the waterfall, silent even as Todd got up to stand beside him. Upon looking around, Todd turned his head to Edgar when he asked the boy, "She's still not back?"

"No, she hasn't…" Edgar blinked, frowning deeply as his gaze remained on the ceaseless cascade of water. "I couldn't sleep, so I've been keeping an eye on the waterfall the whole time… and I haven't seen her at all."

Todd clenched his fists, narrowing his eyes as he turned his gaze away. "I don't expect her to come back, not after what she said about Archie."

As Edgar sighed, he shook his head. "It's been around an hour or more… and I can't help but think you might be right."

Blinking, Todd watched as Edgar turned, going off towards his dark grey jacket that lay in a heap beside Winnie's jacket. As the boy pulled the sleeves over his arms, he passed by Todd, heading straight towards the waterfall. Todd asked before the boy even touched the rushing water, "What do you think doing?"

Pivoting back, Edgar replied firmly after hesitating a bit, "…Naturally, I'm going to look for her." He fastened his coat as he continued sternly, "I need to find her, Todd, and I feel as though something may have happened to her."

"But you can't!" shouted Todd as he narrowed his eyes. "You're only going to get killed out there."

Edgar frowned. "Oh really…?" After letting his words ring through the small hollow, Edgar went on dryly, "Don't you think Marley could have been killed as well?"

Todd bit his lip, shaking his head lightly as he growled, "That doesn't matter…"

"Oh, it doesn't?" asked Edgar bitterly, letting out a humorless laugh. "You do realize you're talking about my sister… your friend, right?"

"Marley killed part of our friendship the moment she said those horrible things about Archie!" spat Todd as he stomped over to wedge himself between Edgar and the waterfall, sharply spinning around to face him as Todd clenched his hands. "I thought you said that we'd be better off letting her have her _precious_ 'alone time', Edgar! And that's what we should do!" He shook his head. "You should her be responsible for herself for once... she doesn't seem to like it when you _badger_ her enough as it is so why don't you let her be!?"

"Todd." The black boy crossed his arms, heaving out a sigh. "My sister needs me right now, as much as she might not want it. And I can't bear the thought of standing here, not knowing what happened to her…" As his hardened eyes met Todd's, Edgar narrowed them. "I _need_ to go find her."

As Todd was about to retort back, he heard Winnie speak quietly, "Big Brother…?"

For a few seconds he kept his scowl on his face, soon softening his expression slightly upon seeing his sister who stared at him with worry. "Yes, Winnie?"

"I-I'm worried about Marley too," she said meekly, letting her gaze fall away from his the moment he met hers. She fidgeted with her hands, shaking as she squeaked, "Wh-What if something bad happened to her?"

"Marley can handle herself, Winnie," said Todd, cringing slightly from the harsh tone he used with her as she froze on the spot. The moment he heard her sniffle, he instantly tried to soften his voice. "Why should we bother with her if she doesn't want to be around us? You know how she seems to hate our presence?"

"B-But…" Winnie's blue eyes glittered in tears. "She might be hurt!"

Todd gave a weary sigh, closing his dark blue eyes as he frowned. "Winnie, please…"

"Your little sister may be right," said Edgar curtly. "Marley could have gotten injured, and because of that she isn't back. We really should go and find-"

"You're _really_ trying to give me an excuse for why you want to go out and find her…" growled Todd loudly in annoyance, slowly reopening his eyes to scowl at his friend. Upon seeing his unimpressed expression, Todd went on with a huff, "Right now, we're being hunted! The Royal Guard wants us dead… reap our SOULS or whatever!" He inhaled sharply. "So right now, we should settle down and stay low on their radar. We shouldn't go off from silly little presumptions about-"

"Did you even hear what I said!?" spat Edgar sharply, his brown eyes flashing with irritation. "My sister might be injured- _dead_ , Todd! Just like Angie and Archie! Yet you're acting as though Marley doesn't matter! Do you know how wrong that is!?"

Abruptly Todd stomped down. "Edgar-"

" _Be quiet_!" shouted Edgar as he shoved Todd back, earning a cry of alarm from Winnie as Todd stumbled a bit. As Todd regained his balance, he whipped his gaze back to Edgar, flinching the moment that the boy with neatly styled hair shook. "I didn't mean to do that, first of all… but hearing you mark her off as nothing is _just wrong_. Despite how wrong she may have been, despite how frustrated, hurt, and stressed you may be… we still should care about her! And as much as I agree that she isn't always the nicest person, she's still my sister. I _need_ to look out for her…" Upon shifting his pained gaze, Edgar quietly spoke, "Just like you need to look out for Winnie, Todd."

Todd's breath hitched, and he slowly turned his gaze to his sister, who was crying as she gazed at the ground. For a minute his anger dissolved, and he stiffened the moment he heard Edgar speak again, "I know you're still grieving, Todd, but we shouldn't forget about the things around us that really matter."

Widening his eyes, Todd trembled as he thought, **'H-He's right…'** As he took a step towards his upset sister, his heart strained. **'I haven't been there for Winnie these last few hours since Archie died.'** The moment he stood before his sister, he bit his lip upon hearing her hiccup between her cries. **'And I'm not making her feel better about the situation either.'**

Upon leaning down, he wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes as he whispered sadly, "I'm sorry…" Feeling her shake within his arms made it worse for him as he patted her back. "I didn't mean to make you upset, Winnie. Please stop crying…"

He felt her arms go around him as well, slightly gripping his shirt as she gave out a sob. Todd knew he messed up. He should've been aware of how it was affecting Winnie as well as himself, yet he was so concentrated on the fact that his friends were dead. Archie was like a second brother to Winnie, not just Todd's best friend… and his death affected her as well…

It was hurting his sister as much as it did for him.

Deep within Todd, he knew it was wrong to snub Marley. Even if he still felt angry towards Marley, he knew he shouldn't ignore her. He had to go find her as well.

After helping Winnie with her apron and coat, giving back her frying pan, he held her hand as he led them out of the hollow. He made sure to stand the closest to the waterfall, just in case the rocks that were falling hit him instead of his sister, walking along the walls, soon passing through weedy tall grass that they came across.

Before they continued on, Edgar stopped beside the cave wall, staring at the rosy pink and cyan gemstones before his gaze rose higher. He froze, wide-eyed as he haphazardly ripped out his notebook and pen.

"Are you okay, Edgar?" asked Todd in concern as the boy feverishly scratched at his notebook, his nose almost kissing the top of the notebook from how immersed he seemed.

Whipping his head up, Edgar exclaimed happily, "Stalagmites!"

"Uh…?" Todd frowned at that. "Whatamite?"

" _Stalagmites_ , Todd, _stalagmites_!" Pointing his pen towards the mounds high above the point where the gemstones rested in the stony wall, Edgar grinned madly. "I can't believe it! I knew they would be present in depths like these, but I never would've thought I'd see them with my very own eyes!"

"What's so important about them?" asked Todd confused, finding that it was weird how Edgar could be distracted so easily when he was so determined to find his sister earlier.

"They're mineral deposits that have formed from water drippings!" explained Edgar excitedly, swaying back and forth as he gave a short laugh. "You can tell these are not stalactites because they would be on the ceiling, because stalagmites rise from the ground." His brown eyes twinkled. "It's fascinating to find some! I've read all about them, and I can't believe I've found a natural location they're growing in!"

Todd couldn't help but laugh as well. "Well then, I'm glad you're happy about this."

"Oh, oh!" Winnie tugged at Todd's hand, making him look at the gemstones. "Those are pretty!"

"Ah yes, gems," said Edgar as his voice flattened a bit, yet it held some content. "Rare stones that have formed underground for a long time, gathering until it forms various shapes and sizes, good to be cut for jewelry and various accessories… It's not uncanny to find them here as well."

As Winnie stared at them, she soon asked excitedly, "Could we bring one home?"

"Ah, sadly we don't have the proper tools to carefully take them out of the walls," said Edgar with a sigh, turning to the weedy grass and started to jot in his notebook again. "Although, bringing back gemstones would give us a fortune…"

"Oh…" Winnie's gaze tipped to the ground as she frowned.

"Hey… it might be for the best," said Todd soothingly, patting her shoulder as he went on, "If we took away the gemstones, then we would be stealing something beautiful away from the Monsters, Winnie."

"I'm sorry…" said Winnie with a sniffle.

"Don't be sorry, I think they're rather gorgeous enough to take home as well." Todd smiled at her, murmuring as he admired the jewels, "I bet we won't forget this moment, Winnie. Unlike a gemstone, you can't lose something wonderful like that so easily."

He couldn't help but feel warmth swell in his chest, for a second forgetting about the situation they were in as light reflected off of the gems' surfaces.

"Mmhmm…" Winnie gave a nod, giving a smile as well.

As Edgar pocketed his notebook, he pressed forward and they followed after him.

They came up to a room, finding a wide stretch of water in front of them. Upon coming up to the brink, Edgar left them briefly and soon spoke, "Ah, would you look at that."

"What is it, Edgar?" asked Todd warily as he turned back, finding that Edgar was beside a dark plaque with cyan writing scrawled across it.

"It says here, 'Skip across, try not to slip, for you only have limited time with each pip'," said Edgar as he blinked, frowning as he met Todd's gaze while he mused flatly, "Well then, it would appear as though we've encountered another puzzle."

"Again?" Todd groaned, shaking his head, feeling his locks scratch against his cheeks as they tossed back and forth. "I have to wonder what's the deal with Monsters and puzzles?"

"Perhaps it's safety measures, or even pastimes that they all enjoy," suggested Edgar offhandedly, shrugging as he ambled back. "You do realize that these Monsters are not like us Humans, Todd."

"Eh, I guess you're right about that," said Todd, for a moment thinking of the Spindlesnaps that Winnie made at Toriel's. "So what do you think we should do to get across?"

Edgar sighed, frowning as he took out his notebook to write something down. "What? Have you given up on trying puzzles yourself?"

"No, you always seem to know the solution to them," replied Todd mildly. "So I thought you might have a better idea than what I can ever come up with."

"Hmm…" Edgar's lip slightly twitched before staying as his frown. "Are you trying to say I'm more equipped for the matter? My, flattery doesn't quite stroke my ego, but you are indeed right about that."

Todd gave a shrug at that. **'You _are_ smarter than me, Edgar. More than I ever can be...'**

"Very well, let's take a gander around us, shall we?" said Edgar, taking an inhale.

As the boy glanced around, Todd watched as Edgar soon faced an alcove in the wall where a crate sat snugly in, chalk full of small purple seeds. He plucked one out, studying it for a few seconds before turning back to Todd.

"Do you think we'll need that?" asked Todd as Edgar stood on the edge beside him, soon watching as Edgar plopped it into the water. Todd widened his eyes, whipping his head to Edgar as he shouted in alarm, "Why did you do that!?"

"Watch." Upon Edgar's words, a large rosy pink flower bud rose from the water, soon opening its petals to reveal it's deep purple center. Todd gawked at it as Edgar spoke, "Interesting… So the moment these flowers meet water, they rapidly mature and are fully grown."

Todd blinked, soon finding his voice. "I-I guess so."

After a few seconds, Todd watched as the flower wilted, soon withering to powder that was carried away by the water. When he met Edgar's gaze, the black boy grimaced slightly. "So the flowers don't remain for too long either." He wrote something down in his notebook before returning to the crate, taking out a few more of the seeds before treading back. "If we can time ourselves right, we can jump to the other side before the flowers die."

"So, did you keep track of how long it took them to die?" asked Todd curiously.

"Quite frankly, I didn't know they would perish… so no," admitted Edgar curtly, sighing as he threw another seed into the water. "I'll do it this time, so let me concentrate."

The moment the flower withered again, Edgar spoke, "Ten seconds. You have ten seconds to get across them after they bloom to get across."

"So you want us to jump on them?" Todd frowned at that, taking a look at his sister. "Winnie might not make it in time."

Winnie tipped her head up, smiling as she murmured, "I'll try my best, Big Brother."

Todd smiled at that, squeezing her hand briefly before he turned back to Edgar.

"I might as well be the one to plant the seeds," said Edgar flatly, giving a nod as he continued, "You two might not get across in time if you're worrying about jumping on the flowers and throwing them in. I can estimate that it would take you one second or two to jump and land, and 5 seconds for them to bloom, then two seconds to jump and land again. If you don't time that right, then the flower will likely perish under your footing, causing you to plunge into the water."

"I'm sure that the water won't kill us," said Todd, grimacing slightly despite that. "We might teleport back here if we fall in."

"And if not, you could drown," returned Edgar with a cross of his arms, unimpressed. "That's why I'll be in charge of planting the seeds, hoping you two are not slow as slugs when doing your leaps."

Todd grimaced more at that. **'That's nice to know…'**

Letting go of Winnie's hand, Todd leaned down to her and spoke gently, "I'll go first." When Winnie's gaze lowered, he put his hand on her shoulder. "If you don't make it, I'll be right on the other side to catch you. You don't have to worry about anything, Winnie."

"But what if you don't land right?" asked Winnie suddenly, whipping her head up to stare at him fearfully. "You didn't land right last time, Big Brother!"

"I'll be fine…" he murmured, "…this time for sure." With a nod, mostly for himself, he turned his head back to the stretch of dark water and inhaled deeply. "You have to trust me on this, I will land right."

Winnie soon grabbed his hand, squeezing it as she sadly whimpered, "You might not land right this time…"

"I will, Winnie."

"As nice as it is to see you two having a moment, I don't think the flowers will support your combined weights," mused Edgar sternly, shaking his head as he stared at the water. "Plus, the surface area isn't enough for two people, so it will be nearly impossible for you two to brave it together."

"Alright then, it's settled." Todd nodded curtly. "I'm ready, Edgar."

Slipping his hand out of Winnie's, sadly hearing her whimper, he waited until the seed dipped into the dark water then bunched his muscles. The moment the flower started to bloom, he launched himself at the flower, landing shakily as the next seed fell in front of him. When the next bud appeared, he leapt, continuing across the four other flower platforms with ease until he found himself on the other side. He turned, sighing loudly in relief before letting loose a big grin as he raised his hand up to wave. "Great job, Edgar!"

"Likewise, Todd," responded Edgar with a nod, soon sighing, "Surprisingly, it's remarkable that you managed to not fail on the second flower."

Todd screwed up his face from hearing that. **'He** _ **expected**_ **me to fail on the second flower!? That's…'** He frowned glumly, closing his eyes as he gave a shake of his head. **'I guess Edgar will never change.'**

From where he stood, he could barely make out Winnie's surprised and relieved expression peering back at him. He gave out a laugh and grinned again, waving more, receiving a reluctant wave back.

When Edgar tapped on Winnie's shoulder, halting her waving, he nudged her towards the water. As he leaned down, saying something to her, Winnie's expression soon became frightened. Todd dropped his grin, soon watching as Winnie shakily stood before the water. **'Is… Is Winnie nervous?'**

Without a moment to lose, he cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted encouragingly, "Everything will be alright, Winnie! I'm here for you!"

The seven-year-old merely nodded meekly, and soon Edgar flung a seed into the water. Winnie flinched before jumping the moment the platform was raised, taking a few seconds before hopping over to the next. A slice of apprehension burst into him, watching as she landed unsteadily on another. The moment she was jumping to the next flower, he realized Winnie was getting slower each time. He widened as the current flower she was on was starting to shrivel as the next platform was raised. **'No! Winnie!'**

If there wasn't a way for her to teleport back, if the water wasn't shallow… Winnie could drown!

Terror gripped him as she pushed herself into the air; she stood on the last platform for only a second before it started to perish. Winnie gave out a yelp the moment she started to fall, and Todd immediately lunged forward precariously over the edge, grabbing her around the waist and pulled her to him quickly the moment the flower had died. He toppled backwards, landing roughly and crying out from the intense pain as Winnie fell on his chest, then lay quietly in a daze.

Within moments Winnie was crying, and Todd held her close despite the pain. He gritted his teeth, feeling something lukewarm slide down and gather around his back as it throbbed horribly. Instead of focusing on his pain, he gave his attention to his sister as she sobbed. Soon footsteps sounded close by, and Edgar peered down at them with an annoyed expression.

"Why didn't I guess that a seven-year-old wouldn't do well with this?" he muttered in frustration. "But of course, _I didn't_..." Todd scowled at him, watching the black boy shake his head as he soon asked sternly, "Are you two okay?"

"I-I think I am…" gritted out Todd as he soon released Winnie to let her stand up, hearing her sniffle as she rubbed at her eyes. Upon trying to sit up, he gasped in agony upon feeling a spike of pain in his back, quickly pushing his palms behind to keep himself propped up. The moment he felt something wet against his palms, he gasped in and out as he clenched his dark blue eyes.

"Big Brother!" cried Winnie as she covered her mouth with her hands, staring at him in horror.

"It's your back again, isn't it?" grumbled Edgar grimly, and Todd groaned upon feeling another twinge of pain shoot through his back as the boy sighed, "I knew this would be a repercussion… _I knew it_." Upon leaning down, unbuckling the satchel, he pulled out a carrot and stared at Todd firmly. "Open your mouth, _now_. As much as I don't want to _spoon-feed_ you, I _have_ to… I don't want _you_ to bleed out, Todd."

Todd gasped in another breath, obeying as the carrot was shoved into his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing the disgusting vegetable. When he finished the carrot, gagging from the taste, he felt a strange feeling spread through him just as Edgar gave him another carrot. He forced himself to eat it as well, and he felt the fluid that was dripping on his hands cease. The moment he gagged, trying not to vomit out the food, he breathed in and out until the pain ebbed away.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Todd stared down at his hands, flinching upon seeing how they were painted in blood. At once his eyes widened.

Archie being stabbed in the chest, blood spitting from the wound… shot through his vision.

He gagged again, dashing towards the water and wildly waved his hands in it until the scarlet disappeared, leaving his hands wet and chilled. Upon relaxing his uneven breathing, he turned back and gazed at Edgar who held an unreadable expression on his face, while Winnie stared at him frightfully. He ran his dripping hand through his hair to calm himself down, frowning when his hand didn't come in contact with his hat. He saw the blood puddle, adverting his gaze while pretending it wasn't there and found his hat, luckily far away from it.

Todd went over to quickly slip it back on, adjusting it before he turned to his sister and friend, nodding to them. "…I'm alright. We should go find Marley."

Winnie meekly gave a nod, ambling to join his side while Edgar's footsteps treaded behind them.

Upon crossing a small bridge, they found another plaque on the far side of the room that told them of another puzzle. Edgar quickly deduced it was the same as the last puzzle, getting them across the nearby water safely before they went on.

As they went through an archway that resembled one from a mine shaft, he stopped upon looking up towards the ceiling, where tiny twinkles blinked back. He heard Winnie gleefully squeal as he stared transfixed on the gemstones, "Look, Big Brother! Stars!"

His breath hitched. _"Other than that, the sky looked pretty cool tonight. There were constellations I've never had a chance to see before, so I think taking a moment to gaze at them was worth it."_...Angie would have liked to see this, she loved stargazing… His heart throbbed in pain from realizing how she would never be able to stargaze ever again.

Angie's broken body warped into his vision.

He tried to push that out of his mind, instead trying to focus on the stars they found rather than his dead friend.

"I believe these aren't stars, Winnie," said Edgar flatly as he moved past them, bringing out his notebook as he stared up also. "If you look closely, I believe these are tiny gemstones that are emitting a light source."

"Oh…" Winnie sounded disappointed, but her eyes didn't stop sparkling with awe.

Todd smiled at them, amazed at what they were finding. For a moment, seeing something like this made him forget for a second that they had to leave this place. He liked little wonders like these. It was one of the things him and Archie liked to discover when they were younger, pretending to be explorers despite how small their feats achieved. The moment he thought of his best friend, he frowned, feeling a pang in his heart as he remembered his best friend was no longer with him, no longer there to experience it with him.

Archie's death flashed through his head again, and he shook his head to dismiss the image desperately.

"It says here that it's a 'Wishing Room'," said Edgar, catching Todd's attention as he saw the boy was staring at another plaque. "I guess wishing upon a star… or gemstones in this case, has stuck with the Monster culture just as it has for ours." Soon he walked over to a luminescent blue flower that stood tall, with a darker blue center in the middle of it that Edgar poked with his pen after scribbling something in his notebook.

Suddenly a voice came. **"How does this work, exactly? Err… I feel like a fool for even trying this!"**

Todd flinched, gawking at the talking flower in astonishment as he cried out, "I-I- The flower _talks_!?"

"It would seem so, Todd," said Edgar flatly, sighing as he went over to check out another one that was close by.

As Todd approached the flower, blinking at it, Winnie went to touch the flower.

 **"I-I- The flower** _ **talks**_ **!?"** came from the flower, causing Todd to jump from being startled by his own voice.

 **"It would seem so, Todd,"** said the voice of Edgar, quieter than Todd's earlier exclamation.

As Winnie stepped away from the flower, Todd whipped towards Edgar as he cried out, "Edgar! This flower just repeated what we said!"

"I heard that, Todd," said Edgar dully. "You don't need to yell." Edgar briefly glanced at Todd before turning back to the flower he was facing, scratching down his pen at the page he was on. "I didn't think the Monsters had access to recording devices… which is a surprise to say for the very least."

Todd grimaced slightly at that, soon poking the flower to test it out himself.

 **"I-I- The flower** _ **talks**_ **!?"**

 **"It would seem so, Todd."**

Upon withdrawing his hand away from the strange flower, he breathed out in awe, "It didn't record what you said…"

"I think it has to be a matter of maintaining contact with it for it to record your voice," mused Edgar as he sighed, shaking his head as though unimpressed by Todd's discoveries. "Nonetheless, you are greatly aiding me with my notes."

"You're welcome, I guess?" Todd rubbed the back of his neck. **'Sheesh… this is weirding me out.'** He gazed at the flower again, feeling sad as he closed his eyes and sighed. **'I bet Archie would have loved this. If he was here, he wouldn't want to leave this room so he could hear his voice, over and over...'** He lowered his head. **'I wish he was here…'**

Edgar poked the flower, receiving the female voice of what Todd assumed to be a young Monster. **"So if I wish upon this flower, Mommy, will my wish come true?"**

Right away Edgar treaded to the other wall to another flower, tapping it before he crossed his arms as an older female's voice came, **"But of course, Sweetie. These flowers are the greatest listeners, so they will hear you out. …Although, they're not the greatest at giving you feedback. But that doesn't matter at all! Having someone listen to you feels a lot better than having someone not listen, especially if they understand what you said in the first place."**

As he made contact with the flower's neighbor, Todd heard the same little Monster's voice from the flower next to the other wall. **"Okay! You're so smart, Mommy! I love you!"**

Todd heard Winnie sniffle the moment the flower was done speaking. He right away wrapped his arms around Winnie, rubbing her back as he murmured, "Don't be sad, Winnie… Please don't be sad, we'll be home soon."

Winnie gave a nod, turning her gaze to the ground.

"I think we shouldn't stay here longer," said Todd as he firmly met Edgar's gaze, taking in a deep breath as he put in, "I think it's not good for us to be near these flowers."

"That's logical." Edgar nodded as he put away his notebook. "It's distracting us, as fun as it may be to hear our lovely voices again and again." With that, he swiftly strode away. Todd and Winnie went after him, only to head straight to a wall. Edgar was muttering under his breath as he shook his head, soon giving out a sigh. "Great, a dead end."

"There has to be entrance somewhere," said Todd as he frowned at the wall. "Right?"

"As nice as that sounds, your optimism may be falsely laid," grumbled Edgar as he narrowed his eyes. "We must've taken the wrong way…" With a shake of his head, he put his hand on his chin. "And I was so sure that this would've taken us in further…"

"Maybe we did?" Todd gave a shrug. "I'm not really sure."

Edgar rolled his eyes, putting his hand on the wall as he grumbled, "For all we know, Monsters will corner us here and-" Soil fell from the wall that crumbled, landing on Edgar as Todd gawked at the tall yawning entrance. Instantly Todd stifled his laugh from what he saw.

As Todd looked back at his friend, he found that Edgar was silent, trembling slightly as he breathed in shakily before sighing heavily. "N- _Nevermind_!" he growled in irritation. "It _seems_ that I found the entrance…" Upon brushing off the rubble, he stalked through the entrance stiffly while muttering under his breath again.

When Edgar was gone, Winnie gave out a short giggle, making Todd smile and giggle also. **'That was a surprise… I guess there are some things Edgar can't predict.'** They went through the entrance when Todd was sure the both of them were completely free from giggling, seeing that it wouldn't make Edgar feel better if they let one snicker out in his presence.

In a darker area they entered, they were surrounded by tall blue plants, somewhat resembling cattails but much taller. They grew from the water that was beside the wooden bridge they stood on, swishing gently from below them. Upon gazing around, Todd cringed when he spotted a mound of pale grey powder resting on the wood.

It looked eerily similar to the pile created from Marley's tutu.

"Hmm…" Edgar knelt down, placing down his notebook and pen as he lightly brushed his fingers across the dust, rubbing it between his fingers before blinking. Like Todd, the dust stuck to Edgar fingers as he tried to get it off, soon sighing and giving up on trying to remove the substance from his skin. When he started writing in his notebook, he shook his head as he mumbled, "This dust… it has the queerest texture to it."

"Yeah, it does," said Todd uneasily, soon scowling when he remembered how angry Marley was when he was checking her tutu.

"I wasn't talking to you, Todd," said Edgar coolly with a shake of his head, returning to scribbling in his notebook. "I was just reading over my notes."

"Oh…" Todd gave a sigh, moving his gaze up and spotted more piles of the white substance lying across the bridge in the distance. He frowned deeply, leading Winnie forward warily as he noticed how each pile he came across became more and more scattered… and he couldn't help but think the slight breeze he felt wasn't the cause of that. It was as though someone disturbed the mounds, and Todd began to feel as though that was true when at the other end of the room he discovered a sliver of a shape sliced through the sprinklings of powder.

He trembled as he gazed at it, biting his lip as Winnie leaned down to touch it, only to pull her away roughly from it much to her confusion. He gave an apologetic look to her before he focused on it.

Something wasn't right with that powder, something felt terribly wrong with it. Whatever it was, he didn't want Winnie messing around with it.

He guided her to the next room, finding more and more mounds. He gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he thought, feeling disturbed, **'What… what is** _ **this**_ **!? Why is there so much of this!? Where is it coming from!?'** He pressed his free hand to his mouth, trying to push back the puke in his mouth. **'** _ **Oh dear**_ **…** _ **why**_ **?'**

Swiftly he walked across the bridge again, trying to avoid stepping in the mounds, ignoring Winnie's yelps, breathing unsteadily. He felt dizzy at each step he took, feeling sick to his stomach from the piles he kept passing. Upon hearing footsteps from behind him, he whipped around suddenly, wide-eyed as he saw Edgar reducing the speed of his run as he met up with them.

"Are you guys trying to leave me behind?" asked Edgar in annoyance, keeping his narrowed brown eyes mostly on Todd. "I would have thought you had the courtesy to wait for me to finish taking my notes."

"I-I… sorry…" Todd paused, grilling his brain as he tried to come up with something else to say. Upon gulping thickly, he breathed out shakily, "Something isn't right about these. _It_ …" He put his hand on his temple, soon shaking his head as he felt cold sweat on his forehead. "I can't _even_ describe this…"

Edgar nodded, putting a hand on Todd's shoulder before he spoke flatly, "I can understand, Todd. There's no reason for dust piles to be on a bridge."

"Then why is it…?" Todd let his whimpering words die, instead trying to even out his breathing, trying to make his racing heart stop pounding against his chest as he closed his eyes. **'What is it...?'**

"I have no clue, Todd, but I think this place isn't the best for you to stay in," said Edgar as Todd stared at him, soon watching the boy walk ahead as he called over his shoulder, "And there's no use dwelling in this place anyway, so let's hop along."

Todd slowly nodded, feeling Winnie squeeze his hand and he relaxed slightly.

They followed Edgar, passing through more tall weedy grass. After pushing them aside, his vision filled with the moist blades as they slid across his skin, he soon got out from the small grassy jungle and pressed on.

After passing through a small room, they reached another where they found a tall archway. As Edgar investigated it, Todd couldn't help but think back to what he saw earlier, grimacing slightly as his stomach churned from the memory.

"Are you okay, Big Brother?" asked Winnie in concern, staring up at him with a frown.

"I-I'm okay, don't worry about me," he said quietly, trying his best to smile. Despite that, his knees felt weak when the pile that was greatly disturbed came into his head. He let go of Winnie's hand to slump against a wall, sliding down it to sit as he heard her frantic calls.

" _Big Brother_!?" As Winnie stared down at him fearfully, he saw Edgar return and Winnie dashed over to him. She grabbed his wrist, pulling at it through abrupt jerks and pointed towards Todd as she squeaked agitatedly, "Something's wrong with Big Brother! _Something's wrong_!"

Slowly Edgar adjusted his glasses, sighing before he escaped from Winnie's hold and strode straight over to Todd. Edgar frowned down at him for a few seconds before he mused sternly, "Okay… I think you're having a nervous breakdown. I think a break is in order."

"N-No… I'm fine," gasped Todd, shaking his head as he stood up, using the wall to support him until he steadied himself. "We need to find Marley." He closed his eyes tightly. "She might be miles away from us, even farther if we stop now."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Edgar. His tone had a hint of worry, but from how objective it sounded Todd could only assume he was imagining that. "You look like you're going to pass out at any time."

"I said _I'm fine_ , Edgar," Todd insisted, smiling as he added, "Thank you for your concern."

Edgar rolled his eyes. "I wasn't concerned, I was just making a decision based on my observation from you."

Todd shrugged at that. "If you say so."

He went over to take Winnie's hand, stopping when she stared at him anxiously. He blinked when she asked nervously, "Are you sure you're okay? You look sick, Big Brother!"

"Don't worry, I'm not sick." He put his hand on her shoulder, holding her gaze for a few seconds as he murmured, "If anything, I'm more worried about you, Winnie."

The blonde pigtailed girl quickly looked down, shifting her feet as she spoke quietly, "Okay…"

Todd gently took ahold of her hand again, leading her forward until he noticed a bright blue lake at the end of the current path they were on. He saw a tiny yellow bird hopping around on the other side of the water chasm, pecking at the ground and twittering. He knew there was no way they could swim across that short gap of water, especially if there were some aquatic Monsters lurking in it...

Nor could he swim.

They took a turn, heading straight into a darker terrain that had tiny cyan stalks sprawled across it, emitting a glint that was easily seen as they passed through. A bright blue river ran beside them, branching off from what Todd could see from afar. Yet once again, he found mounds of grey powder, sticking slightly to the glowing stalks.

Todd grimaced as he gazed at the mounds, feeling his stomach churn as his gaze traveled to each one… He blinked suddenly, watching as they veered on his right side.

"Hey, the mounds are going this way," said Todd uneasily, stopping at the branch of paths after he gave a glance to two of the nearby recording flowers.

"Interesting…" Edgar slurred as he turned in the direction, staring at them silently before he spoke warily, "It might be worth checking it out."

"Why's that?" asked the dark brown haired boy curiously, feeling utterly creeped out from seeing all that dust.

"Personally, solving the dust trail mystery would be an excellent addition to my notes," explained Edgar as he brought out his notebook and pen, his brown eyes sharp with determination. "I can't help but want to figure this out, just so it puts to rest my thoughts on the matter." He paused, soon breathing in as he mused, "Plus, it might be good in case it gives us a clue to where Marley is."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Todd felt sweat roll down his face. **'Why does Edgar want to find out what it is? I don't want find out what it is!'**

Edgar continued forward, apparently more captivated in his research than noticing Todd's uneasiness. As much as he didn't want to follow Edgar to find the source of the dust, he didn't want Edgar to go alone and get ambushed by a Monster. They already had Marley disappear because of going alone; he wasn't going to let Edgar do the same thing.

Despite his grievances about following the mounds, Todd guided Winnie forward, dodging each mound as he stayed close to Edgar. For some reason the mounds grew less and less, and soon Todd froze completely the moment he spotted a few red flecks on the ground in front of Edgar. **'That's… That's not dust?'**

As Edgar crouched down, studying the specks of red, he touched the stain and drew his hand back up. Todd noticed from where he stood that Edgar's finger had a streak of scarlet on it. Instead of commenting on the substance, Edgar merely crouched there, motionless, breathing quietly.

Todd took a step forward, letting go of Winnie's hand as he approached his friend, reaching forward to put his hand on the black boy's shoulder when Edgar got up. The dark brown haired boy edged back at once, surprised from the sudden movement when he noticed how Edgar was shaking slightly. "Edgar…? Are you okay…?"

Wordlessly Edgar stood there for a minute or two, making Todd try to reach out for him again when the black haired boy shot forward, running straight towards the other end of the room.

"Edgar!?" shouted Todd in alarm. It took him a moment to finally make himself push hard on his feet, sprinting after his friend. " _Edgar_!?"

Just as he was about to reach the bridge, he heard a strangled scream. Halting, Todd stared at Edgar as he stood before a patch of weedy tall grass, his notebook and pen abandoned on the ground at his feet. Todd's heartbeat quickened, breathing fast, deep breaths as he warily inched forward, hearing Edgar scream again as he backed away, yet it sounded more like a wail this time…

The moment Todd joined Edgar's side, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, he asked in a panic, "What's wrong, Edgar!?"

Instead of replying, the boy gave out a sob, trembling as he sank to his knees as another wail tore out of his throat.

Todd widened his eyes as he watched his friend, worried and baffled for why he was so distraught. Never in the time that he'd known Edgar did he ever see the boy breakdown like this… or even at all… But Todd knew for one thing that something terrible must have happened.

As he let his gaze travel towards the grass, his heart stopped the moment he saw more scarlet leaking from it… Todd knew it was blood. But that wasn't the worst thing, disturbing the grass was a dark-skinned arm that peeked out from it. As Todd stared at it, he instantly ran over, pushing aside the blades only to numbly stare down into it.

Crisscrossed were frayed wounds, across the body of Marley. Her eyes were glassy, her head was at an angle it shouldn't have been as her mouth was parted slightly, her stomach ripped open, ruining the white leotard she wore; and the worst thing Todd saw was that her legs were chopped off right from the knees. As he stared at his friend's dead body, he noticed how the parts of her body not soaked with blood was pale with a powder, mostly covering her ballet flats on her removed lower limbs; a pile of grey powder covered her feet and was dyed pink. Unlike Angie and Archie, she had no heart above her.

Todd could only step back, letting the blades of weedy grass slip through his fingers absently as he stood there speechlessly.

Other than the sound of swishing water, as well as Edgar's sobs and wailing, all his senses felt dead. He couldn't even come up with a thought from what he saw.

It was a few minutes later when he heard footsteps, and he slowly turned his head to them, only to flinch the moment he spotted his sister. At once his mind cleared, not much, but enough for him to realize how bad it was for her to be here.

Before she could get over the bridge, he dashed over and swung her around, grabbing her wrist hard and tugging her away. She yelped in pain, crying out his name, but he continued to pull her away, far from Marley's dead body.

" _Big Brother_!?" she cried, and he kept moving forward, pretending to not hear her. " _Big Brother_!? Y-You're _hurting_ me!"

The moment he got them to the branch of paths, he collapsed to his knees, wrapping his arms around his sister as he whimpered weakly, "Marley's dead…" His sister stopped her pleas for a moment, and he sobbed miserably, "Please… don't go back there! You can't see Marley, I won't let you see her!"

At once Winnie's eyes glittered before tears ran down her cheeks, but Todd's vision was slightly blurred from his own, making it harder to see her suffer from the news he gave her. "She's dead… _she's dead_ , _Winnie_."

He pulled her closer, hugging her harder, not wanting to let his sister go.

* * *

It took a while to calm down, letting Winnie go as he explained to her that Marley was killed. Except, he left out how she was brutally murdered.

As he sat beside his sister, listening to the rushing of the river beside him, he held her hand while waiting for Edgar. He knew Edgar deserved time to grieve, and from what Todd saw from Edgar, he needed this.

It might have been maybe ten or twenty minutes later before he saw Edgar slowly approach them, his cheeks crusted with his dry tears, his eyes bloodshot. When Todd stared at him long enough, the boy about to speak when Todd cut him off, "I'm sorry for Marley's death, Edgar."

Edgar merely adjusted his glasses, inhaling before he quietly spoke, "Why are you sorry? You didn't kill Marley."

As Todd turned his head away from the boy, Todd hung his head as he sadly murmured, "If I hadn't angered her… she wouldn't have stormed off like she did."

"Look, it wasn't your fault, Todd," said Edgar as he sighed. "As much as I want to argue with you for who's to blame for causing this, I won't. The both of us had a part in driving her away, but we're not the ones who killed her, so the blame isn't on us."

Todd nodded at that, feeling a little relieved yet he couldn't help but admire how Edgar seemed to be taking his sister's death. If it were Todd, if Winnie was killed… he wouldn't have the same strength that Edgar had in pulling through despite odds against him. If Edgar could keep himself together like that, then Todd felt that maybe he could also. After all, if it weren't for Edgar, he wouldn't have escaped from Roxie, or had someone take him away from Archie's dead body.

Unlike Todd, the black boy knew how to persevere during hardship.

"Will you be alright?" asked Todd as he met the boy's gaze again.

"Yes," said Edgar quietly, soon resuming an annoyed tone as he frowned firmly. "As much as I appreciate your concern, Todd, I don't want this to bog me down too much. So I rather have it that you give up on the sentiments as of right now." Todd gave a nod to that, moving to his feet as Edgar looked out towards the direction they were proceeding before. "Now then, I believe the best route would be to forgo this one."

"Why's that?" asked Todd in confusion, staring at the boy who crossed his arms.

"If… If the thing that killed Marley is still around, it would most likely be that way," explained Edgar sternly. "If it wasn't, I think we would have met up with it by now like Marley did." The dark brown haired boy grimaced at that, halfheartedly nodding as the boy treaded the way they came. "If we were to find another way, I think backtracking to that large room with the time-limit flowers would do fine. I remember seeing another body of water further that way, so there may be another area we could go to…"

Todd followed the boy, pondering Edgar's strategy as he guided Winnie along with him. He knew that it was a risk to continue moving forward, seeing that there was no telling how long ago Marley was killed. If they did, they might meet up with the Monster that killed her, and he didn't want to put Winnie or Edgar in danger.

As they came up to the lake of water again, he suddenly felt that Winnie's hand was gone the moment he heard her squeal. He froze, widening his eyes as he watched her dash straight towards the water. "Winnie!?"

Right away he hared after her, only slowing down the moment she crouched down in front of the tiny yellow bird he saw earlier. Now that he was closer to it, he noticed how much it resembled a duck… a very tiny duck. In fact, Winnie's hand could easily crush it if she wanted to… not that she would _ever_ do that.

Furrowing his gaze, he watched as Winnie giggled as the bird hopped back and forth, tweeting back at her. Soon he heard Edgar come up beside him, and Todd faced the boy as he muttered, "That's typical of her… being distracted by something like this."

Todd scowled at him when he said that. **'Do you really have to act like that, Edgar?'**

"Look at the birdie, Big Brother!" squeaked Winnie as she lifted the bird up in her hands, allowing it to perch on it as she showed it to Todd. Todd softened his expression, studying the bird as it ruffled its feathers and tweeted. "Isn't he _cute_ ~?"

"He sure is, Winnie," he replied warmly, wondering if the bird was really a female. It was strange how a bird would be in the Underground when it was filled with nothing but Monsters…

"As much as he, or she, is as you have said," grumbled Edgar as he sighed, unimpressed by what he saw apparently. "We have more important matters to attend to. We should quickly get out of the area so we don't meet up with the wrong Monster, as I have said."

Winnie's happiness slightly faltered, and as she made a move to put the bird down, it fluttered to the collar of her coat, grabbing it before Winnie was lifted from the ground. Todd at once widened his eyes, crying out as he lunged for his sister, "No!"

He missed, waving his arms through thin air as Winnie was slowly carried above the short stretch of water. He was about to jump in and swim after the bird when he remembered how he wasn't a great swimmer, leaving him to watch as the bird abducted his sister.

But after a full minute the bird let go of Winnie, allowing her step down on the dry land on the other side. Todd blinked, frowning as he thought, **'It… It helped her over there?'** As he placed his hand on his temple, he shook his head. **'How can it… do that? Birds can't be that strong… especially if its _that_ small.'**

"Ah, what a stroke of luck," said Edgar aloud as he nodded, taking a moment with his notebook before he put it away and faced the water.

"Wait, what?" Todd blinked at the boy as confusion filled him. "What do you mean by that?"

Pointing towards Winnie and the strange bird, Edgar nodded as he explained, "That bird could carry us across and bypass the other way completely."

"Oh, I get it now." Todd rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing at that. "But are you sure that the bird will do that?"

As the bird fluttered back towards them, Edgar gave a curt nod. "Indeed. It knew what we needed."

Todd took a moment to wonder why Edgar was agreeing to this sort of thing, seeing how he wouldn't allow for irrational things like this to slide by him normally. But Todd couldn't argue with that, shrugging as the bird perched on Edgar's shoulder next.

As Edgar was carried across, the bird seemed to be flapping its wings harder than it did with Winnie... Todd couldn't help but wonder if Edgar's weight was making it tougher for it to move Edgar above the water.

It was three minutes later when Edgar joined Winnie's side, and the tiny bird barely hung on to him before it fluttered back to Todd. The moment he felt his shirt collar get tugged, he felt his feet leave the ground, slightly brushing the water's surface as the bird's wings whipped rapidly. For a second or two it jerked, causing Todd's feet to dip into the lake and he right away felt worry bubble through his chest as it continued to carry him. **'I hope it doesn't drop me...'**

Just before he was directly above the dry land, he felt air whoosh against him as he plunged into the chilly water.

"Big Broth-"

Warped noises came from above the water, and he pressed his mouth closed as he propelled himself upward the best he could.

"Todd!" cried Edgar the moment Todd's head broke from the water, gasping for air as the black boy instantly extended his arm towards him. As Todd felt his hand be grabbed, he kicked desperately with his feet, not wanting to be pulled away by the current. "Keep holding on, I'll get you of the water soon!"

"Wh-What happened?" he breathed shakily, swinging his hand over to grab Edgar's hand as well.

"I think the bird must have lost its grip," said Edgar as began pulling. "Or, it could have also been too exhausted to carry you anymore." Nearby the tiny bird lay slumped beside Edgar, tweeting weakly. "Anyway… keep kicking your legs, Todd, and don't stop... or the water will pull you away."

When Todd was about to give his thoughts on the matter, he heard heavy footsteps from behind him, metal clanging as another footstep pounded into the ground. He froze, momentarily loosening his grip only for Edgar to tighten his own. **'Oh no...'**

Slowly more thuds sounded behind him, and Todd felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as it came closer.

"They're heading towards us," said Edgar warily, widening his eyes suddenly as his breath hitched. He started to tremble, breathing unsteadily.

"Edgar?" Todd felt uneasy about the way that Edgar was acting, feeling the boy tug harder despite how pale his face turned. Biting his lip, Todd asked nervously, "What kind of Monster is it?"

"Th-They're… th-they have that symbol from the Ruins."

Todd's heart stopped the moment he heard that. **'A… A-Another member of the Royal Guard!?'**

Blood roared in his ears as the pounding footsteps drew near, and he knew for one thing they were already seen. If the Monster knew the area well… they would be able to quickly come over if Edgar took a long time to pull Todd out of the water. And then they would all be killed…

Todd gulped, feeling lightheaded suddenly as Edgar fought to keep his grip. **'I don't want to see anyone else die… I can't let them die because of me again!'**

"Edgar…" he said quietly, clenching his eyes shut as he breathed shakily. "Let go of me."

At once the black boy stared at him in disbelief. "Let go of you!?"

" _Big Brother_!?" cried Winnie in horror, freezing up as she stared at him. " _No_!"

"I need you to do that, Edgar! There's no time to argue!" Todd retorted as he let his hands loosen, only to have Edgar tighten his hold. "This may be rash of me, but I need you to do this!"

"You're insane, _Todd_!" growled Edgar as he glared at him. "You know you can't swim!"

"I don't care! Just do it, Edgar!" he half-shouted distraughtly, breathing unsteadily as the pounding became louder. "Get out of here! The both of you! I'll find you guys, just run and hide, don't let that Monster get you! I need you two to live! I won't let you guys die because of me!"

"Don't do it, Todd!" snarled Edgar as Todd heard the scrape of metal nearby, making him afraid as Edgar went on harshly, "As much as people may view this as _heroism_ , this is the _crassest_ idea you have ever come up with!"

" _Just do it_!" Right away, Todd started to thrash in Edgar's hold, making Winnie cry out as he freed himself.

" _Big Brother_!"

As he slid into the water, he felt it grasp him completely, and he struggled to keep his head above the water. Yet despite his efforts, water kept coming into his throat, making him cough and choke as he tried to not drown. He soon found himself being dragged underwater, swinging and kicking his arms and legs around to push him out of it. Yet he felt weighed down... not able to go up for air... powerless as he was swept away.

Todd's chest filled with pain as he tried to stop inhaling water, yet drowsiness filled him… and his blurry vision darkened until there was nothing.

* * *

Blinking groggily, Todd painfully sputtered out water, trying to expel the fluid that was trapped in his airways. When a spell of dizziness waved over him, stopping him from continuing, he could only weakly let himself lay where he was. Through short breaths, he slowly regained oxygen, trying to figure out where he was as his brain sluggishly attempted to restart itself. Although, the first thing that came to mind was that he wasn't dead… or, he hoped he wasn't.

Slowly Todd sat up, coughing again as he took a glance around himself. He didn't expect to see mountains of trash nearby him, holding various items that he stared at in shock. He could have sworn he saw some old action figures that Archie used to collect when they were younger, and he caught the sight of some coolers that he knew came out four years ago...

Upon closing his eyes, Todd shook his head. **'Am I seeing things?'**

As he got up, wincing upon the cramping he felt in his leg, it soon occurred to him why he was here. Within seconds he widened his eyes. **'Winnie! Edgar!'**

Todd briskly limped, his drenched hair clinging to his face as he waded through the water. For a moment he ran his hand through his hair, flinching upon finding something was missing. He halted, turning back and glancing around frantically for the hat his sister gave him, in vain not finding it. He could only believe he may have lost it the moment he fell into the water… and he could only stare at different trash mountains only to slump his shoulders. He just couldn't see it anywhere… but he knew for certain that if he didn't find it Winnie would be upset.

As he drifted through the area of trash, he looked high and low, part of the time digging through the piles until he eventually concluded that he would never find his cowboy hat. He gave a sigh, clenching his eyes closed briefly as he thought miserably, **'I'm sorry, Winnie…'** That hat meant so much to Winnie… he just couldn't help but dread the hurt expression she would give him when he told her the bad news.

The dark brown haired boy gave a sigh, looking down at the ground before he realized something seemed off. Usually his right side was weighed down slightly by his revolver, and he blinked upon checking and finding that his father's revolver was gone. He couldn't help but shake his head. **'Great… I've lost another belonging.'** He knew for one thing that his revolver couldn't have been separated far from him, seeing how it was snug in the holster almost the whole time he had it on him. So he could only think that it must have been dropped nearby the location he woke up in.

Right away he trudged back to the spot, peering into the water hard as he wandered around. Once and a while his feet met some missing bulllets, so he scooped them up and plopped them back into his ammunition pouch. It was a long while until his feet kicked something hard, making him grimace and hiss out a painful cry, feeling his foot throb slightly. He frowned, wondering what it was as he soon crouched down more into the water, only to find his gun. He breathed out a sigh of relief, sliding it back into its rightful place. **'Thank goodness… I didn't want to lose two precious things today.'** Once again he felt a strange feeling wave through him, and he ignored it like he did the first time.

Despite the reassurance he felt, he knew for one thing that he spent too much time here. He screwed up his face, breathing in and out as he thought desperately, **'Oh please be safe, Winnie and Edgar! I'm coming for you!** '

Spinning on his heels, he waded as fast as he could through the water, ignoring the various items that poked from the trash mounds. He knew he couldn't risk searching more for his cowboy hat, right now his sister and friend mattered more. So he went forward, pushing more effort into his leg that was injured, managing to increase his speed slightly. Yet despite that, the pain caught up to him in full force the moment he met a bend in the garbage corridor.

Todd halted, breathing in and out heavily as he pressed himself against the nearby wall. He knew he couldn't continue on like this, he could permeantly injure his leg if he tried. So regretfully, he thrust his hand into Toriel's drenched satchel, trying to find something to eat when he found the carrots... along with something that felt like mush at the bottom of it. Upon pulling one out, he figured the mush must have been Winnie's cookies judging by the thick, grossly coloured fluid that was trickling off the vegetable.

Grimacing at the carrot, he shook it until a majority of the Spindlesnap mush fell off, considering for a moment to wash it off in the water when he shook his head. The water most likely was contaminated by the various items of garbage... he would only make himself sick if he tried that idea. So grudgingly he chewed at the disgusting carrot, screwing up his expression when his taste buds were tortured by the revolting substance as well.

As soon as his leg felt better, he shuddered, gagging a little before he continued. He kept his stride strong as he walked, munching on another carrot while keeping his gaze forward until he got to the end of the long stretch of water. Pushing himself out of the it, he went through a crack in the wall only to find himself in a quiet, open rocky area. There was a pond in the middle of it, with three paths that branched from the stony clearing… with no sign of Winnie or Edgar anywhere.

Just as he wondered about where he was at the moment, chirping caught his attention, making him flinch and turned to his left. In the distance he saw the tiny yellow bird. With a gasp, he ran up to it, leaning down to his knees at once to stare down at the little bird. It only turned to face him when he asked breathlessly, "Where are they!?"

Tweeting, it tipped its head to one side before fluttering in the air, flying past him and he followed after it. As it made a beeline to the other side of the room, it hovered in the air until Todd caught up to it, and he lifted his finger up to let it rest there. He gave a nod to it. "Thank you..."

With another chirp, it flew away and he made haste onward.

Just as he barely got a few steps into a stony corridor, he halted the moment he heard someone speak.

"Hey, son."

Turning around, he saw that an olive coloured bipedal tortoise was addressing him. The Monster's brown shell was against the archway he leant against as his yellow eyes met Todd's, or… his open eye. What struck Todd the most interesting about him was that he was wearing an outfit that Todd could only imagine an archeologist would normally don.

"It would be dandy if you follow me into my shop," the Monster croaked as he gestured behind himself. "I think something of worth is waiting for you, son."

Todd blinked, taking a step back as he replied warily, "I'm sorry, but I don't have the time right now, sir."

The Monster stepped forward slowly, narrowing the only eye he had open at Todd. Todd tensed as he watched the tortoise, wondering whether or not he should book it when hearty laughter burst from the Monster.

"Wahaha! You look like you just swam through all of Waterfall, son!" exclaimed the tortoise Monster. "I think some Sea Tea might do you some good right about now. You don't want to die after swimming around in the cold water!" Upon sneezing, Todd sniffled as the Monster nodded. "I reckon that sneeze of yours means yes."

For a few seconds Todd shivered, suddenly realizing he was, indeed, cold. He couldn't help but wonder why it occurred to him now, but he could only guess that his mind was too occupied by the fact that his sister and friend was in danger to notice. Slowly he wrapped his arms around himself, gawking at the Monster before he gave a reluctant nod. As much as he didn't want to go with the tortoise, he didn't want to get sick from not taking care of himself. It wouldn't do him or Winnie and Edgar good if he died or harmed their chances at getting out of the Underground if he disregarded this.

He followed the Monster through the archway, finding himself in a room that glittered with thousands of cyan and pink gemstones that danced all around the walls. Todd only paused to gape at them, admiring their beauty when he heard a shuffle nearby. Right away he stiffened, realizing it might have been a terrible idea to follow the Monster because this could be an ambush. He suddenly took a step back, watching cautiously as the Monster lumbered by and knocked on one of the crates that were in front of them, preparing himself to run if any Monster jumped out at him...

"It's another of you," the one-eyed Monster murmured as he removed the lid, chuckling when the shuffling stopped. "Has a face like yours."

Todd wondered if the Monster was speaking to him or was talking to himself when he saw something peek out, stiffening at once as he expected the thing to pounce out at him. And within moments a green blur shot at him, pushing him back slightly before he could run, shoving all the oxygen out of his lungs.

"Winnie!?" he gasped in surprise.

"Big Brother!" His sister hugged him tightly, trembling as he heard her hiccup after giving out a sob. "I thought you were _dead_!"

"I'm so glad you're safe..." sighed Todd as he relaxed, soon returning the hug. "I'm here, Winnie…"

"Where's your hat!?" cried Winnie in alarm as she moved back, staring at him wide-eyed. "You don't have it!?"

"I lost it," he said sadly, causing her expression to fall upon hearing that. "I tried to look for it, I really did… but I couldn't find it at all." He bit his lip as he half-closed his dark blue eyes. "I'm sorry…" Winnie sniffled, still crying as he sighed, "I would have looked for it more if I hadn't been worried that the Monster got the both of-"

He stiffened, blinking as he frowned. He glanced around the area, breathing in shakily before he soon asked nervously, "Winnie... where's Edgar?" Winnie stared at him, giving out a loud sob as he asked again, fearfully this time as he put his hands on her shoulders, "W-Winnie, where's Edgar?"

Instead of getting a reply from her, he heard the Monster speak grimly, "He's not here." Upon letting go of Winnie, and Todd turned to see the Monster frown. "That bookworm left her here, and ran off."

Todd's heart stopped. **'N- _No_...'**

"You see, it wasn't that the boy left her because he wanted to get away, first of all," said the Monster seriously as he looked back at the entrance. "That boy asked of me to protect her and not let anyone get near her." Blinking his one eye, the Monster finished, "Although, you two looked similar enough that I reckoned you two were related, so I knew you weren't a threat to her."

"Where did he go?" Todd asked warily, staring at the Monster fearfully as he grew more stressed. "Where did he _go_!?"

The Monster was silent for a moment before he replied solemnly, "He ran off further down the path, and was in an awful hurry..."

"And you let him go!?" shouted Todd in frustration, shaking as he scowled at the Monster. "Why would you do that!?"

"Look, the boy left before I could ask him about anything… and I couldn't have left this child alone when I'm supposed to be protecting her for him." The Monster grimaced, shaking his head as he reached over to put a scaly hand on Todd's shoulder. "Right now, it would be best to wait for him to come back-"

"I've done enough waiting!" shouted Todd angrily, backing away abruptly before the hand landed on him. He glared at the Monster as breathed in and out sharply. "It killed one of my friends already, and _I'm not_ going to let that Monster the same thing to her brother!"

Todd ignored Winnie's cries as he bolted out of the shop, pushing himself forward as he got out. He didn't know how long ago it was that he was unconscious, or how long Edgar had left Winnie behind for… but Todd knew for certain he had to find the boy. After wading through two puddles created by the waterfalls, he pressed on further with worry.

Edgar had to be alive… the boy wouldn't be dumb enough to let himself be killed.

He entered a darker area, faltering in his steps as he stopped in front of a single mushroom that was surrounded by glowing cyan stems. He threw his head around, only able to see luminescent trees with dark leaves dotting across the darkness.

Todd breathed in and out, wondering if this was all that the area had when he noticed something glowing in the distance... He squinted his eyes, unsure of what it was. He brushed past the mushroom, trying to get a better look when a path of glowing stems flickered before him, leading up to another mushroom far ahead of him.

Right away he widened his eyes, briskly walking down the glittering path, slowly getting further and further away from what he saw earlier. But he knew for certain that something must have triggered the lights over there. He could only hope it wasn't another Monster that wanted to kill him... like the Royal Guard.

Moving across the trail, tapping mushrooms to progress further, he stopped upon hearing his foot kicking something tiny. He whipped his head down, noticing something thin that was rolled against a shimmering stalk. He quickly snatched it up, recognizing it instantly.

It was Edgar's pen.

Clenching it, he quickened his steps as his breath sharply came out, walking on the path only to halt the moment heard a crack. He slowly lifted his foot back, staring down at fractured lens from Edgar's glasses. He picked it up as well, mindful of the jagged parts of it, soon staring forward as he found himself close to the mushroom he saw previously when he entered the area.

Numbly he stared forward, unsure of what he was seeing was real or not. He slowly stepped forward; feeling his heart ache as he approached the mushroom… approaching his friend's body leaning against it.

Unlike Marley's body, which was violently cut up, Edgar's body looked like it was cleanly sliced from the shoulder to the opposite ribcage. Edgar's head was lolled back, his face not even facing Todd (thankfully) as he rested against the radiant mushroom that was bloodstained.

Todd fell to his knees, feeling tears drip from the sides of his eyes as he studied his friend's dead body. He shallowly breathed, quivering slightly as his thoughts went mute. He couldn't come up with anything to think about but the truth before him. Never before could he have imagined that Edgar would die, but it would seem as though that wasn't the case. Edgar was smart, but Edgar wasn't as fast as Marley was. Marley probably couldn't think of a way out of escaping the Monster that slain her… while Edgar wasn't fast enough to get away from the looks of it.

Slamming his hand into the ground, dropping the pen, Todd held back a strangled wail, sniveling instead as he clenched his eyes closed. This couldn't be happening… this shouldn't have happened! Maybe if Todd let Edgar pull him up, they could have found a better way of hiding from the Monster that was after them before. Yet Todd let himself get pulled away by the water, and Edgar was right: That was stupid of Todd to do that! Todd only wanted to keep the people he had left alive, yet he only caused another to die! How could he be so _stupid_!? He should have listened to Edgar, then Edgar could still be alive!

It was _his_ fault that Edgar died...

When he reopened his eyes to stare at his friend's dead form, he noticed how Edgar's right arm was stretched out towards him. Widening his eyes, he crawled over to him, for a second hopeful that Edgar was actually living still when Todd found that Edgar's chest wasn't rising up and down. Todd frowned wretchedly, scolding himself for having that stupid thought when he noticed that below Edgar's arm his notebook's cover was facing upward.

Trembling, Todd blinked as he gave out a shuddering breath. **'M-Maybe… Maybe he wrote down what he saw…'**

Although he wanted to leave his friend's notebook in peace, he couldn't help but grab the notebook at once and opened it. To his dismay, the pages that would most likely be dotted with Edgar's sharp observations were torn and crumpled slightly… and the ink was smudged. Upon trying to read them, he felt his heart sink.

He could barely make out anything that it said.

All that writing, all the hours that Edgar put into this… and Todd couldn't even read a _single_ word!

Todd shut his eyes, shaking as he cried silently.

* * *

" _You know, Todd, the world has so many unanswered questions," said Edgar dully, while the two of them watched Archie and Angie jump back into the lake again._

 _Todd's two friends were competing for the best time underwater while Marley was practicing her swimming nearby them, and Todd would have liked to join them if it weren't for his ineptitude for swimming. So Todd sat between the roots of the tree that loomed over the water, listening to the boy beside him while letting his bare feet soak in the cool summer water. "Even though we may know the answers already… I believe the answers that we are given are not always the entire truth."_

" _Why's that?" asked Todd in confusion, frowning as he turned his head to the boy._

 _Edgar breathed out a sigh, rolling his unimpressed gaze over to Todd's dark blue eyes. "I believe that there are things that have so much more to them then what we see and know already…"_

" _And…?"_

" _Personally, I'd like to study more into things. To flesh them out... even more than what is already known about them," explained Edgar flatly as he brought his gaze back to the lake, and Todd watched as Marley stormed through the water to start yelling at Archie for splashing her after he came up for air. For a few seconds Todd and Edgar watched the argument, only for the black boy to go on when Marley tackled the screaming Archie into the water, "As cheesy as what I may tell you now, Todd… One day… I'd like to publish articles and bring about new information to the world."_

" _So, you mean you want to be a journalist, or something?" asked Todd curiously as he swung his feet, enjoying the feeling of the water as it sloshed around them._

" _More like… a scientist."_

* * *

Edgar always wanted to share his findings with the world… now it would be almost impossible for that to happen.

Slowly flipping through the notebook, Todd found that most of the pages were similar to each other, feeling his chest constrict even more as Edgar's words echoed in his head. He couldn't believe that not only did they lose Edgar, but his notebook didn't even survive. If Edgar was still alive, Todd was sure that Edgar would be upset about it.

Ending up at the last page, Todd froze. He noticed how blood was dried on almost the entire thing… except for the last sentence that was messily scribbled out:

 **…D wE're being trAckeD**

* * *

"So let me get this straight, son…" said Gerson slowly as he chugged his Sea Tea, his good eye closed as he exhaled. "You found him dead among those glowing mushrooms?" Upon scratching his chin, he frowned. "The Temmies aren't going to like that."

Todd merely stared at the misty, swirling spring green liquid in the ebony handle-less cup that he held loosely in his hands, absently watching as the steam fluttered up into his face while the Monster went on, "I've fought plenty of Humans back in the Old War, but that isn't right. Leaving a corpse there to rot is hardly noble… and that doesn't hold to our honour well." Upon pointing his stumpy finger, wagging it back and forth slightly, he clicked his tongue. "We Monsters may hate you Humans, but we respect the dead... Well, that's what it was like when I was still in my prime to whop my foes!"

"Are you going to kill us?" asked Winnie timidly as she stuck close to Todd, almost pressing against him for comfort, but Todd merely looked up for one second to comprehend the Monster before him.

"Heck no, that bookworm told me to protect you," chortled the tortoise Monster with a slight grin. "And that's what I'm going do you for Humans as long as you're here."

Upon gazing at Todd, the Monster ambled over, pushing the cup up from the bottom towards Todd's face. "Sea Tea is best served warm, son… The healing effects go iffy if you let it become cold soup." Todd grimaced, not really in the mood for sipping tea, but he complied seeing how worried Winnie looked. After gulping down the liquid, he gagged slightly which caused the Monster to hoot heartily, "You see, son! Cold soup!"

As Todd continued to drink the strange tea, the Monster waddled around the shop as he went on, "Now then, clearly you two know that Monsters and Humans have been at war… So let me tell you that it won't be easy for the both of you to get back to the Surface." Upon stopping, he turned. "After all, the Underground has been under a panic since the Snowdin Canine Unit have been attacked…"

When Gerson got up to a familiar black symbol painted on the stony wall of gemstones, he tapped right beside it and spoke, "Now let me tell you that it's best that you proceed with caution. I may not be hunting you like I used to back in the Old War days, but I will turn a blind eye to you now if you skedaddle out of here within the next few minutes."

"W-Why!?" squeaked Winnie fearfully. "You said you were protecting us!?"

"I'm kinda a legend among the younglings and Monsters, and if they find out that Gerson, the Hammer of Justice, is sheltering Humans…" He grimaced the moment he turned to the both of them. "I don't know of what will happen, but it will harm my business, no doubt." With a sigh, he shook his head sadly. "I already heard that Chester from Snowdin got a heap of earfuls from everyone for letting you stay at his inn… so I don't want to get dragged into the same treatment."

Todd set down his tea, sliding off the crate he was sitting on with Winnie then helped her down. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Gerson speak, "Oh, you won't be needing that."

Slowly the dark brown haired boy turned, noticing how the old Monster was pointing his stubby finger at Winnie. "Hotland will boil you if you keep wearing that jacket. It would be best if you leave it behind before you leave Waterfall."

Winnie gave a worried glance to Todd, her expression twisted in pain. Todd understood that Winnie might not want to get rid of the coat Toriel gave her, but he did agree that if this 'Hotland' area was truly what it was from its name, then the coat had to go.

Gently he let his hand land on his sister's shoulder, nodding to her. Yet Todd didn't even have the energy to give a smile to reassure her. "Winnie… could you take it off?"

For a few seconds his blonde haired sister hesitated, not making a move to remove it. Todd gave a sigh, shaking his head as he spoke sadly, " _Please_ , I need you to do it. I don't want you overheat, it's not good for you, Winnie." He then raised his palm up, waiting for his sister to give him her coat.

Soon his sister lowered her gaze, and Todd frowned at that, soon turning to her and started helping her out of it. He watched as Winnie slipped her bare arms out of the sleeves as she refused to look at him, but he didn't worry about that as he handed over the coat to Gerson who plopped it into a crate.

Todd slowly checked the satchel, finding that the Spindlesnap mush had already dried and the last two carrots that lay trapped underneath it looked disgusting. He couldn't even find the leftover Gold that he tucked into it… but that didn't matter. The satchel wasn't fit for carrying anything anymore; it would be a waste of time lugging it around now. Without thinking about it more, he slipped off the satchel and gave it to Gerson.

As the Monster looked at the item, Todd patted his pockets and soon pulled out Edgar's notebook and cracked glasses. He stared at them painfully, blinking away tears when he heard the Monster speak up curiously, "Hmm… What do you have there, son?"

Turning, Todd looked at the Monster. "It's my friend's belongings…"

"Do you really need a torn notebook and cracked spectacles?" asked the Monster flatly, crossing his arms.

Todd at once scowled, taking a step forward as he retorted, "It was _his_ stuff! I'm not going to let Edgar's things be _forgotten_ \- and have them _played around_ with by _any_ Monster who _walks on by_ his _dead body_!"

For a while the Monster tapped his chin, humming before he sighed, "Look, son… I know how hard it is for you right now, but carrying those items might not be the best for you."

" _Why not_!?" snapped Todd as he glared at the Monster.

"You don't need those glasses. They're cracked, and I don't think you can even wear them," said the Monster gruffly. "I don't mean to oppose, or sound unkind about what happened… but you don't need them." Pointing his scaly finger at Todd, he shook his head. "And that notebook… It would practically be burned to a crisp in Hotland's-"

"I'm not going to throw away his things!" Todd took a step back, letting out a growl as he spat, "It would insult his death!"

The Monster stared at him, silent as Todd breathed in and out unsteadily, then the tortoise heaved out a heavy sigh before he spoke softly, "You don't need to throw them out, son… I could always take them in for you if you want."

Todd stiffened upon hearing that. **'Wh-What…?'**

"I may be retired, but my curiosity in me… is still as thirsty as my fighting days!" hooted the Monster as he waddled over, and Todd didn't move back as the Monster stood in front of him. "I know how hard it is to let things go, I don't like taking in junk… but-" He gave a toothy grin, showing his yellowing teeth. "I can breath life back into those items."

Todd stared at him, blinking as he asked warily, "...How?"

"I know of ways of restoration. It's a talent I had during the Old War whenever some crying Monster broke their axe or sword, or even cracked their good ol' armor…" replied the Monster proudly, placing his smooth hand on his chest. "I know of ways to enhance things that may look boring to the Monster eye… And I can make junk, not junk…" After he stopped speaking, he blinked his hardened eye. "This is my only offer for _this_ occasion, son. Once you leave my shop, and if you think about stepping back in... I will crack your heads open with my hammer before you could even blink."

At once Winnie started to tremble, letting out whimpers of fear as she hugged Todd from behind.

Slowly Todd looked down at the items in his hands, frowning at once. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving behind Edgar's belongings… especially his notebook. But it was true, the glasses were unusable now… and there was a chance that the information that Edgar put in his notebook could be fixed. But Todd knew that it would be impossible to fix the notebook when they got back home; there was no one that he knew of who could do that sort of thing… But… as much as he denied it, the best he could do for now was leave it with the Monster. There was always a chance that they could get back home, but at the same time death seemed to grin down on them… If he gave the Monster the notebook, then at least one of Edgar's wishes could be granted. Even if it wasn't Humans who would be reading it, then Monsters could. It was the least he could do for his friend…

Half-closing his eyes, he grimaced as he tore his gaze away from the belongings, passing them towards the Monster. As soon as the Monster had ahold of them, Todd felt a tinge of regret about this, but he tried to shove that feeling away.

Taking his sister's hand, fighting the urge to take another glance at Edgar's things, they set out.

* * *

"B-Big Brother…?" meekly said Winnie as they stopped by another lantern, shaking as he slowly put his hand on the crystal embedded in it. "Can we have a break?"

"No, we can't do that now," mumbled Todd as he briskly pulled her along, being vigilant for any stray Monsters that could attack them again. "It's too dangerous, and we shouldn't slow down. We need to get out of here."

"B-But-"

Todd ignored her, soon reaching another lantern and tapped it, tugging her along the slowly dimming trail. Right now, he really wished she could stop talking; the Monsters could figure out their location and kill them. He already tried telling her that, but she didn't seem to listen to him. If he were to remind her, that would defeat the purpose of silence.

They soon reached a lane of repeating flowers after wading through a stretch of water, and Todd had to constantly jerk Winnie away when she tried to stop to pat them. He kept his gaze forward, he didn't stop despite how his body protested for rest, he knew the most important thing they had to do was get out of the Underground. If they kept stopping at anything they would be killed, if they rested they would be killed, if they went to talk or interact with any of the Monsters… they would be killed!

Just like Todd's friends…

After crossing a long wooden bridge, Winnie's tugging that started when they were past the flowers became insistant. "Big Brother, I can't walk more-" Todd pulled her along, feeling his knees wobble but strode into what seemed to be a crag. " _Big Brother_! _Please_!" As the hazy deep red sky fell over them, Todd gritted his teeth as Winnie squeaked tearfully again, " _Big Broth_ -"

"Stop, _talking_ , _Winnie_!" he snapped harshly, releasing her only to fall to his hands and knees. Upon hearing her cry out, he heavily panted, staring at the ground as he growled out, "We _can't_ stop… we _need_ to get _out_ of here…"

Before long he let out a shaky breath, feeling his gaze blur as heat behind his eyes made it difficult to focus. "Please… _please_ let me get us _out_ of here!" he shouted out distraughtly, hearing his voice ring throughout the area.

For a while it was silent, and Todd let out a shivel as he held back a sob. He had to get them out of here, he couldn't let his sister die… not like his friends. Suddenly his friends' deaths came back to him.

Angie broken body sprawled out-

Archie lying impaled on the snowy ground-

Marley brutally slaughtered in the bed of weedy grass-

Edgar inclined on the mushroom blemished with his blood-

Todd screwed his eyes shut, trembling madly as he thought hysterically, **'I let them all DIE!'**

"Big Brother…"

Todd's uneven breaths came in and out as he felt someone wrap their arms around him. "I'm sorry…" murmured Winnie with sniffles.

At once Todd's eyes shot open, frowning in a gape as Winnie went on sadly, "I… I didn't mean to distract you, or make you angry-"

"No- _no_!" he shouted in dismay, shifting his body so he could hug his sister. "You have no reason to be sorry, Winnie! Don't be sorry! It's my fault- I shouldn't have yelled at you! I'm not angry with you- I'm-" He panted hard, shaking before he breathed out stressfully, " _I'm_ the one who's _sorry_ …"

Winnie was silent, he heard her sniffle from over the sob he gave out, feeling dizzy suddenly as he sat with his sister. He couldn't believe he was making Winnie think she was an annoyance to him, it wasn't right at all! She was his sister, she didn't deserve to feel as though she's a problem… when _he_ was the problem.

Todd bit his lip. "I didn't mean to be hard on you, I-I just…" He paused for a second, closing his eyes. "I-I… I don't want to lose you too…" he admitted feebly, breathing shakily as he held her closer while he trembled. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't _want_ you to die, I _can't_ let you die… You're the _only_ sister I got, and I can't replace you no matter what, _Winnie_. ...I w-won't let you die, I-I promise you!" After gulping in another breath hastily, panting for a long time, he breathed out fraughtly, "I won't let my problems affect you... I _need_ you!"

"I need you too…" whimpered Winnie tearfully as her whole body shuddered.

Listening to her sad tone made him hug her tighter. **'I won't let you down, Winnie… I'll die before letting you die.**

 **'I _need_ to...'**

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! =3**

 **…**

 **EeveeGen9988: So… maybe this is a week late… (Yes it is!) I'm sorry! *cries* I had a lot of stuff happening to me and I got the terrible writer's block for the last 25% of the story, and boy was it hard for me to push myself out of that! *flops onto the fallen confetti that she needs to clean up* DX**

 **Anyway, I think I pretty much disproved my friend CG's theory of Ar- before An-… _muehaha_! ...Sorry about that, CG! It was a cool theory, but sadly Ar- then An- then Mar- then Ed- doesn't work well alphabetically... ;p**

 **I want to thank Hyoxjnn for making this awesome cover art! Thank you again, Hyoxjnn! *salutes Hyoxjnn* =D**

 **See you (hopefully) in the next two weeks for the next** **instalment! Things are going to be heating up for the story~ ;3**

 **…**

 **~ Item Check~**

 **\- Spindlesnap Cookies (5): A bizzare hybrid between pumpkin and gingerbread, it is said that these cookies require an acquired taste taste to enjoy them. Heals 4 HP.**

 **Spindlesnap Mush: A revolting substance that was once Spindlesnap Cookies, there's no way that this is edible anymore… Heals -4 HP.**

 **\- Carrot: A simple carrot that's good for your eyes, fit for any snowman. Heals 7 HP.**

 **Mush-coated Carrot: A carrot that's still good for your eyes… but it tastes worse than it originally had been. Heals 3 HP.**

 **\- Gold (21): The currency of the underground, also known as G. Apparently Monsters would rather have triangle coins instead of round ones.**

 **\- Winnie's Frying Pan: A small frying pan that Winnie loves to carry around, it pacts quite the punch...**

 **\- Bullet Pouch (75): The bullets that their father makes for Todd's gun, using them wisely would be best.**

 **\- Edgar's Glasses: Glasses that once belonged to Edgar… they are now cracked and unusable.**

 **\- Edgar's Notebook: The notebook that Edgar made notes in about the Underground… it is now torn and** **illegible.**

 **\- Todd's Hat: The cowboy hat that Winnie gave to him for his ninth birthday… Winnie gets upset if he ever takes it off.**

 **\- Toriel's Satchel: A satchel that Toriel gave him to carry the supplies she gave to him, Winnie, Angie, and Edgar when they were leaving the Ruins, but now it's unfit for carrying anything anymore.**

 **…**

 **~ Fun facts about the chapter's development!~**

 **\- Todd** **originally was going to wait for Marley to come back, having Edgar and Winnie hide in the room behind the waterfall while waiting for her. Marley would have been complaining about how the Royal Guard almost decapitated her. This got cut because I thought it didn't seem fitting (boring really) for the beginning of the chapter, and would conflict with how Todd was affected by Archie's death in the last chapter.**

 **\- Another alternate beginning to the chapter would have been Todd being dragged into Waterfall by Edgar, and then Marley would have shortly come in and started to scold him like she did in the beginning of the actual beginning. Edgar would** **have stopped Marley when she went too far (like he did in the actual beginning of the chapter) and told her to go and find a safe place for them to shelter and rest in. Marley would have still been angry… even more angry, but did what she was told to do by Edgar. This didn't fit what I wanted for the beginning, and I wanted Marley to still be angry with Edgar, so I went for the somber beginning that you see in the chapter.**

 **\- Winnie was going to try to bring Marley's tutu along with them, but Edgar would have told her that they would go back for it later… It was cut because it couldn't have worked well into the scene, so I left it out and also did that because Todd, Winnie, and Edgar wouldn't want to backtrack that far into Waterfall because of the danger they were in.**

 **\- Gerson's actual reason for protecting Winnie would have been that since she was in his shop, she was a customer. That didn't seem like a good reason to me when I got to the part where Gerson came in… =(**

 **\- I had a very hard time writing Gerson… it was part of the reason why the chapter was delayed… DX**


	4. The Molten Wastes:

**The Fallen:**

 **I do not own Undertale, Toby Fox does!**

 **This story is written for [Shibuya Operation Story Storm].**

 **…**

 **Part 4: The Molten Wastes:**

* * *

Slowly Todd could feel a gush of heat waft onto him, making him flinch from the unexpected change of temperature. Upon gazing forward, hearing the electric billboard buzz softly on his left, faint light shone on them from the gaping archway. When Winnie gave him a worried look, he gave her a smile as he squeezed her hand, to reassure himself as well, then led them through the yawning exit.

As soon as they stepped out, Todd found that they were standing on a reddish-brown terrain, and above them was a smoky sky with a red tint. Within seconds Todd felt a drift of heat blanket him as he coughed from the fumes he inhaled, and as he gazed forward he thought uneasily, **'So, this is Hotland...'**

It certainly was sweltering… Todd was glad they weren't wearing coats, or this would have been intolerable for him and Winnie. In fact, he surprisingly didn't mind the heat… it was a nice change from the colder temperatures that Snowdin and Waterfall had. But that didn't change how he felt about getting them out of the Underground safely, and he knew he should focus on that instead.

After wiping his forehead with his free hand, he gave a quick look to his sister and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Are you feeling okay, Winnie?"

Winnie gave a nod, giving him a small smile which made him sigh in relief. As long as his sister was okay, he knew there was nothing to worry about.

With a quick glance ahead of him, he spotted a wooden plank bridge before them. After blinking, thinking about why a bridge would be in a place like this, he led them across it, only to notice why... they were high above lava.

Todd grimaced upon hearing Winnie's breath hitch as she stared down, when a couple spurts came from the molten liquid from below. He had to wonder how deep underground they were if they were encountering lava... and in the end it didn't make sense to him.

At once, Todd wished Edgar was here to explain this to him... but a sting struck through him when he reminded himself he couldn't.

Edgar was dead... just like the rest of his friends.

Frowning, he took a step forward onto the bridge, trying to fight through the painful memories that assaulted him until they got to the other side. He held his sister's hand for a long time until the shudders her body gave ceased, then led them on.

About a minute or two later, Todd froze upon hearing something.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Slowly turning his head to the left, he cringed the moment he spotted two Monsters who wore shining grey armour. **'Oh no…'**

"Of course it is… just let me focus and I'll get this done faster, Carmel!" snapped a lanky bipedal lizard with his back turned away from them, hunching over before doors that might have been for an elevator.

"But this could be harmful to the other Monsters!" protested the otter companion with a few flicks of her striped twin tails; her frantic voice telling Todd that whatever the Monster was doing wasn't good news. Her owl-like ears flattened while she leaned over, looking at the thing the other Monster was busy with. "Xander, just listen to me-"

Upon turning around, the artichoke-coloured lizard snarled harshly, "We have an order to do right now, Carmel! Just let me focus so this _won't_ be permanent!"

At that, the sleek-furred Monster fell silent with a sigh.

Todd breathed in and out unsteadily, carefully guiding Winnie forward towards the other direction from the Monsters. He knew they had to get away as fast as they could, especially if the Royal Guard was around the area. He got them over to a large building that had LAB printed above the door before them, and flinched slightly the moment it hissed open... reminding Todd of science fiction doors from the way they slid open for them. With a quick look to Winnie, they entered into a mostly dark room.

It took Todd a few seconds to adjust to his limited vision, and from what he could see there was only a flashing light up ahead. Slowly walking, hearing their footsteps echo on the hard floor, he turned his head to a flickering small monitor on a table... It looked like a computer, from what he remembered from his conversations with Edgar when they were still on the Surface.

"B-Big Brother…?" whimpered Winnie nervously, tugging at his hand to get his attention. "I-I don't like it here…"

"Me neither…" he murmured to her with a grimace. "Let's get out of here."

Todd could barely see his sister's frown in the dim area.

He wasn't happy how this was affecting his sister. He knew that she'd never liked being anywhere dark, so this place wasn't helping her feel better about their circumstances either. He gave her hand a light squeeze, soon edging forward so he wouldn't make them bump into anything.

From what he could tell, this place had no one here… but he knew that someone must have been occupying it if the computer's... monitor was left on. So it was better that they should leave as fast as possible.

Luckily after wandering around in the darkness for a bit, he got them outside onto a strip of orange rocky terrain that he led them across. Just as he was about to turn the corner with Winnie, he froze the moment he heard a familiar whoosh of the door from behind him.

Turning his head back, he widened his eyes in horror as he spotted the lanky lizard Monster who was walking right towards them. "Of all days… why does Carmel have to be so difficult with me now!?" It didn't seem like the Monster noticed them yet... but Todd knew they should get away before the Monster did.

Todd breath quickened as he right away spun around, gripping his sister's hand hard as he hissed to her in hush, "Winnie, we have to run!"

Before his sister could reply to him, Todd cringed the moment he heard the Monster yell out angrily, "What the-" At once, Todd bolted forward and pulled his sister along, causing her to yelp in surprise as Todd kept his gaze forward. " _Humans_!"

"Big Brother!?" Winnie yelped when Todd pushed on his feet harder.

"Just keep running, Winnie!" cried Todd as he heard the Monster gaining on them. "We can't let that Monster get us!"

Within moments, Todd stopped at the sight of moving platforms… conveyor belts, from what Edgar had told him. For a few seconds he stared at them in surprise before he got his sister and him onto the moving strip as he heard the Monster's footsteps. "I'm not going to let you Humans get away!"

Todd turned his head to see that the Monster had stepped onto the conveyor belt as well, walking towards them with a deadly glare. With a quick glance to his sister, he pulled her along with him as he started to run, making them move faster until they got off and continued forward. Again they got to another conveyor belt, and Todd made them run across it as well, disliking how much it twisted, listening to his sister's troubled breathing as they ran.

Soon they came towards a wider area where he could faintly see something in the distance, but he paid no attention to that and kept them going across short bridges between the rocky terrains, that felt extremely shaky under his footing, following a zigzagging pattern as he turned at each corner they came to. He only stopped running when meeting a fork in the paths, whipping his head back and forth to see that there were two different ways he could go…

Winnie whimpered at once as Todd debated which way he could go, wanting to make sure he took the right path. Before he could calm her down her at this time, he heard the Monster yell out shrilly, "Humans!"

"This way!" Todd yelled out as he took the path on the right, noticing the Monster was already crossing the winding path that they had passed through seconds before.

Before he knew it, he stopped at the sight of two strips of conveyor belts a little ways from them on each side of him, gawking at them when he realized either one could loop back to where he stood. **'Oh no… I took the wrong way!'** Todd thought in horror.

He heard Winnie give out a sniffle from beside him, hearing the Monster catching up from behind him, then veered to his right without thinking, running towards the conveyor belt when he heard Winnie yelp. He widened his eyes upon feeling her hand twist and slip out from his own, finding that Winnie had tripped. "Winnie!" he cried as she gave a sob, soon catching her hand when she was getting up. "I'm so sorry, I should have known I was going too fast for you!"

"Where's-" Winnie let out a cry as he quickly checked over her for any injury she may have gotten, freezing the moment he heard loud footsteps coming towards them.

"We can't stay here!" he hissed as he whipped his head to the Monster charging towards them, feeling his sister resist to his surprise. "Winnie?"

"My frying pan!" she sobbed before he noticed that the Monster had a large jagged sword out now. "Where is it!?" The Monster stopped, swinging his blade high in the air and started to whip it down. "Big Brother, I can't leave it!"

"I'm sorry, Winnie, but we have to!" he shouted desperately as he saw flames shoot towards them, pulling them on the conveyor belt and rushed forward to avoid being toasted by the fire. He heard his sister crying, and gritted his teeth as they were heading back towards the Monster who had his blade ready. "Winnie, just _run_!" Before the Monster could swing the blade down, Todd darted forward as hard as he could, shooting past the lizard Monster who hissed in frustration.

Back where they were earlier, he pulled them forward, taking the path he ignored when Winnie let out a scream. " _Winnie_!" he yelled and gaped in horror as her hand slipped out of his as again as fire suddenly propelled her far away from him. Upon seeing her land roughly, he instantly careened towards her, helping her up as she sobbed shrilly. Before he could even comfort her, he noticed that the Monster was charging right at them.

 **'NO!'** Todd thought in appall as the Monster raised its blades up again, and soon Todd narrowed his dark blue eyes. **'I can't let that Monster kill Winnie! I'm not going to let another person in my life _die_!'**

Right away he pulled out his revolver, shakily pointing it towards the unsteady bridge before him, and fired a shot at it. He grimaced from the pain his wrist sustained from the abrupt shot, instantly shoving the gun back in his holster before he made them run again. Just a few steps in he heard the Monster cry out in shock, along with sickening cracks and snaps of wood.

For a second, he wondered if the Monster was okay. He wasn't planning on killing the Monster by making it fall into the lava, but he hoped this would buy them more time to get away... The Monster would have to take another path if it wanted to catch them, and Todd was glad the bridge was unstable enough as it had been.

When he noticed that Winnie was about to look back, he spoke quickly, "The Monster's fine, Winnie! We can't stop now!"

"But-"

He halted her cry as he quickened his pace, bolting back towards the conveyor belts. This time they took the ones that sped in the opposite direction than the ones they took before, and quickly crossed them with his sister.

After they got through the lab, he pulled them towards the elevator that he noticed earlier, panting hard as he let go of his sister's hand as she panted as well. He pressed the elevator's button after regaining some of his breath, nervously biting his lip as he waited for it to arrive. He knew that if they wanted to get away, maybe the elevator could separate them from the Monster easily. But from how long it was taking… he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

The moment he heard it ding as it opened for them, he got him and Winnie inside, instantly gazing at the array of buttons that were labeled:

 **L3 - R3  
L2 - R2  
L1 - R1**

Without a single thought, he pressed R3, hoping it could get them as far away from the Monster as possible… only to find that it didn't work. He widened his eyes, pressing the button again and again, only to receive the same results. **'Why isn't it working!?'** he thought in agitation as he jabbed his finger on the button once again. **'It should be working! What's wrong with-'**

His blood went cold.

The Royal Guard member must have done something to the elevator.

" _Big Brother_!" screamed Winnie in distress.

Todd turned his attention to her, only to find that the Royal Guard member who had been chasing them was streaking right for the elevator. **'NO!'**

Whipping back to the elevator, he instantly started to press the buttons frantically, not paying attention to them when he heard the doors whoosh close, along with a dull thud and faint exclaim of pain from the other side. He relaxed at once, feeling the ground rumble as it whirred to life… only for the doors to open ten seconds later.

Blinking, Todd slowly led them out, turning and tipping his head up to see that the elevator was marked R2. Todd frowned at that. **'It… It didn't take us that far up…'**

Todd sighed, shaking his head before he quickly grabbed ahold of his sister's hand again, walking briskly. He knew for certain that the other Monster would soon catch up to them once the elevator got back to the level they were on before. But Todd knew for certain that they were safe for now, and that was the only thing that mattered to him other than protecting his sister.

It was a minute or two later when he noticed the otter Monster from before, freezing his steps right away. He took a few steps back with his sister, watching in horror as the Monster turned around to spot them.

Her owl-like ears sharply pointed forward as long golden claws, that hadn't been on her paws before, stiffly extended and glinted in the harsh glow of the area. "You… You're Humans!" she growled as she took a step forward, falling onto her fours as her claws drew out more. "We've been looking for _you_!"

"Carmel!" Todd stiffened the moment he heard the lizard Monster, turning to find the Monster was back with a blade raised in his claws. At once, the Monster grinned balefully as he growled, "Good… you cut them off for me."

"I did exactly what you wanted me to," curtly said the otter with a sniff, shaking her head. "This is a team-effort, if you haven't forgotten."

"But _I_ called the shots, so stop complaining…" growled the Monster before he took steps towards Todd and Winnie. "We'll soon have the Humans' SOULs…"

Todd at once felt sweat roll down his face as he began to breathe shallowly, widening his eyes as he noticed the other Monster was closing in on them as well. **'W-We're… W-We're trapped!'**

"B-Big Brother…?" Winnie trembled as she pressed closer to him. "Wh-What do we do?"

Todd scrambled for some kind of way to get them out of here, but he could only come up with trying to barge past either of the Monsters, or fighting through them. He didn't want to fight them… he only wanted to get him and his sister out of the Underground. So he knew the only way would be to try the former option.

Without answering her, he sprinted forward, trying to get past the otter Monster, only to drive himself and Winnie to the side when the tawny otter nearly sliced them with her claws. Todd withdrew from his plan at once, backing away from the Monster as she raised her hackles threateningly, with her teeth bared as she hissed at them.

Both of them slowly backed away from the Monsters, and Todd had a problem breathing in and out as both Monsters walked towards them. Todd only stopped walking when he found that they were in a tiny space of land, and he couldn't help but feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. **'We can't… we can't get past them!'** he thought with dread, shaking his head as he quivered. **'They'll only cut us apart!'**

"Nowhere to run, Humans," growled the lizard Monster as his claws tightened around his weapon. "You're going to die, and we're going to be closer to freedom because of you."

"Don't make them feel worse about it, Xander," said the tawny otter suddenly, and Xander turned his head to her sharply with a glare. "It's bad enough that they know they're going to die."

"Carmel, that doesn't matter!" With a curl of his lips in a snarl, Xander's narrow head whipped to them. "They're going to die in the end, so why not?"

Todd felt his lower lip quiver as he stared at the Monsters, trembling on the spot as he heard his sister whimper fearfully. **'I-I can't… H-How can we get away!? There's no way we can!'**

"They're still children, Xander," said Carmel gently as her honey-coloured eyes slowly softened a bit. "I just don't like the idea of mocking them about their death."

"Who cares!" snapped Xander as he pointed his blade towards Todd and Winnie. "We need their SOULs, it doesn't matter who _they_ are because _they're_ going to _die_ \- and _be_ forgotten!"

Right away the Monster charged towards them, swinging his blade down and Todd at once pushed Winnie away, hearing her squeal in alarm as he brought his revolver up to shield himself. He grimaced from the force that was delivered, stepping back and whipping his revolver up again to block another strike. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to not lose focus as the Monster struck again and again, and soon Todd found that his hands were aching from how hard he clenched them around his revolver.

When he heard Winnie shriek, he thrust himself out of the way, hearing the blade clout the ground and turned his head to his sister, only to yell out, "Winnie!" Winnie was sobbing fearfully from where she was trapped under the other Monster who had her claws around Winnie's shoulders, and Todd at once ran towards the Monster as he raised his gun up. " _Winnie_!"

The otter Monster raked her claws into Winnie's back, causing Winnie let out a harsh scream of agony.

Upon hearing that scream, Todd's ears began to ring, and a distraught yell tore out of his throat. **'WINNIE!'** He thrust himself at the Monster, tackling the Monster over and pulled Winnie close to him, feeling his heart thud madly as he moved his sister around in his arms so she could look up at him. He shook as he heard Winnie's pained breathing, and watched as Carmel stiffly got up to glare at him. As he heard Xander slowly walk towards him and Winnie, he heard flapping from nearby.

"There you guys are!" squawked a medium sized avian above his head. "You're missing the Captain's final debriefing for the day!"

"Reggie, can't you see who's below you!?" snapped Xander, glaring up at the cyan and red striped avian Monster, who's one large eye on its large beak skimmed back and forth. " _Humans_!"

"The Captain told me to tell you guys to come over there before he personally claws your behinds!" squawked the Monster. "And he told me to tell you that he's taking on the remainder of the Human Hunting!"

"But the Humans are right below you!" roared Xander as he shook his blade abruptly at Todd and Winnie. "We can kill them now!"

Todd shook, hoping the new Royal Guard member wasn't going to decide to kill them as well.

"Captain's orders, not mine!" squawked the avian Monster before it started to peck at Xander's head. "And I don't care!" With a few more flaps, he hooted in frustration, "I rather get home soon to see my chicks! As their Daddy, I promised them some Hotland Gumbo! And that's selling fast, and I don't want to disappoint my chicks!"

"Xander…" Carmel's expression looked torn as her honey-coloured gaze flickered between Todd and the avian Monster. "Let's just… listen to Reggie. I don't want to get in trouble with the Captain…"

"This is bullshit, _Carmel_!" snapped Xander before he received a sharp poke from Reggie. "The Humans are right there!"

"Too _bad_ , so _sad_ …" sang Reggie as he poked Xander again. "Get going or I'm going to have to tell my chicks that Auntie Carmel and Uncle Xander made Daddy not get them their Hotland Gumbo…" His one large eye narrowed substantially as his voice turned grave. "And the chicks will torture your souls for the rest of your lives when that happens…"

With an aggravated growl, Xander turned and shoved his blade onto his back, a click sounding before he roared, "FINE! But the Captain will hate you for not letting us kill the Humans, Reggie!"

"At least my chicks will get their Hotland Gumbo~" sang Reggie before the three Royal Guard members walked away.

Todd watched them go nervously before he whipped his head back to his sister who he cradled in his arms, hearing her shallow shudders of breaths. He shook as he noticed now that Winnie's wound had bled out quite a bit, and he right away started to untie her apron, causing her to weakly breathe out, "B-Big… B-Brother…?"

"Hang on, Winnie, I'm going to stop the bleeding," he murmured with a smile he forced onto his face, slowly sliding the rosy pink apron off his sister's body as he pressed it against the harsh wound. "You're going to be okay, you're going to live and we'll get to the Surface-"

"I-It… _hurts_ …" whimpered Winnie.

"I know it does, but it won't soon. I'm going to give you something to eat..." Todd at once pulled his hand away to reach into Toriel's satchel, only to flinch the moment he remembered he no longer had it on him. His breath hitched at once, and he stared at his sister in distress. "Y-You're going to be okay! The bleeding will stop soon, I promise you it will!"

"D-Don't leave me…"

Todd shook his head, smiling as he held her closer. "Of course not, there's no reason for me to leave you."

"B-Big B-Brother..." His sister's face looked paler than it had been before, and her tiny face looked absolutely pained as she weakly smiled. "I… I-I love you, B-Big Brother..."

"I love you too, Winnie," he said as his heart ached. "I'll never leave you…"

He pressed the apron against his sister's back harder, willing the blood to stop, willing his sister to not look like she was dying. She was only injured, and would heal up soon.

"Winnie, we're going to get out of here once the bleeding has stopped," he murmured gently as he smiled at her. "We'll see Mom and Dad… we'll tell everyone about what we saw…" After a second or two, he added warmly, "And you can make me one of your wonderful breakfasts, and I will eat every bite of it. How does that sound?"

For a while, he eagerly waited for her to respond, only to frown when he found that she just stared at him, still smiling. "Winnie?" She didn't seem to hear him say her name, and he frown more when he spoke again, this time nervously, "W-Winnie?" He was suddenly aware of the fact that her chest wasn't rising and falling… and her eyes didn't shine like they normally did. Her crystal blue eyes were dull pools…

He merely stared at her, blinking as heat swelled behind his dark blue eyes. "I-I know how much you love to cook… s-so doesn't cooking sound fun?" She still didn't respond. "W-Winnie…?"

His sister wasn't dead; she couldn't be dead.

He held his sister close, rocking back and forth as he murmured, "Hey… it's going to okay. I promise you it will be okay, Winnie. Just… talk to me." Briefly pausing, he whimpered, "P-Please… talk to me, Winnie! I know you can h-"

Without warning, a small green heart rose from Winnie's chest, glittering softly amidst their darkening surroundings.

Todd only stared at it with distrait for a long time… only to widen his eyes horror. **'N-No… this isn't-'** He shook his head, instantly breathing unsteadily as he thought frantically, **'No! Winnie can't be dead! She can't be dead! Winnie's didn't die, she can't die! I'm protecting her, and she isn't dead!'**

At once he gently laid her down on his lap, raising his blood-soaked hand and rough hand up to gingerly cup his sister's SOUL. He gazed at it, slowly moving his right scarlet hand up over it, and eased it down towards Winnie's chest. **'She just needs her SOUL back… then she'll breathe again.'** Moving his other hand up, feeling the heart try to rise back up, he stopped it and guided towards Winnie's chest. **'Just go back in…'** He pressed against it hard, still feeling it pulsate against the palms of his hands. **'You can do it, just go back in and make Winnie breathe again so we can get out of here.'**

The green SOUL refused to go back in no matter how hard he tried.

 **'Go back in! You have to go back in so Winnie can live!'** he yelled mentally as he tried to force the SOUL in, feeling it resist and he felt his tears rush down his cheeks. **'It has to go in! It needs to go in, why won't it go in!?'**

"Just go in…" he whimpered as he tried again, shaking his head as he let out a shuddered sob, "Winnie needs you be inside her, not outside…" After a few seconds, he let out a wail, "Just go back in! I need you to go back in, I need my sister!"

Instead of doing that, it didn't. Todd could only let it rise up as he let out another wail, trembling as he sat there. He closed his eyes, shaking his head wildly as he let out a distraught wail, hearing it echo around him, but he didn't care. As much as he tried to come up with a reason that his sister had fallen asleep, or she passed out, he knew that his sister's SOUL, that floated right above his sister, told him that this was real.

His sister was dead.

After a long time of crying, wailing, and mentally yelling about this, Todd soon lost all the tears that he could cry... And all that he could do was sit there, letting his sister lie on his lap as he blankly let her SOUL rest in the palms of his hands. Its gentle beating never faltered, never once did it speed up or slow down... it continued to buzz with life... unlike his sister.

His heart felt dead, he couldn't even feel anything but the tormenting agony that lay inside it. Everything around him didn't matter suddenly, the only thing that did was his sister's SOUL… Now that he thought about it, his sister's SOUL was still her… right? At that thought, he smiled, gazing at his sister's SOUL with a sniffle. It made sense, that it was still her. His sister was still in front of him… she was still there.

The dark brown haired boy felt a laugh bubble from his chest, and he gingerly held his sister's SOUL. **'Winnie… don't worry, I'll always be there for you.'** He smiled a bit more. **'Always...'**

After a few seconds, it hit him that this was just his sister's SOUL, not his sister. He tried to clasp on to the little notion that it was his sister, not the SOUL that left his sister's dead body. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself of that, the grim reality fought and won.

Slowly the joy he felt ebbed away, leaving him to feel cold and miserable as he absently stared at the SOUL. He knew deep down that there was nothing he could do, nor could he pretend that his sister was still there.

Winnie was dead.

He failed to protect her.

For a long time, he let his hands cradle the bright green heart, doing nothing else… but then Todd heard something faintly. He didn't move from his spot; Winnie wouldn't like it if he did...

"Are you okay?"

Todd blinked, not letting the Green SOUL fall from his hands when the deep voice sounded from behind him. He didn't even question how the being snuck up from behind him; he didn't care about that.

"Nothing's fine..." Todd breathed quietly; he closed his eyes as he let himself focus on the warmth Winnie's SOUL gave out.

"But why do you think that?"

"It's because it is..." Todd said bitterly, bringing the SOUL closer to him. He imagined Winnie was hugging him right now, and he hugged her back the best he could. "It was never right to begin with."

For a few seconds the being was silent, shifting on the spot, rattling some sort of metal upon doing so. "I am sorry, but was that someone who you were close with?"

At once Todd let out a sob, shaking as he whimpered, "Why does that matter to you...? You're probably here to kill me too, so get on with it."

Slowly the being came closer, thumping the ground before Todd noticed the shadow that cast over him and Winnie. "You really want to die like her?"

"N-No, I won't die alone..." Todd breathed in shakily. "I-If I die here, th-then I won't leave her. A-As long as I don't leave her, th-then..."

"I have no clue why you are asking for death, but no child should wish that."

"Sh-Shut up..." Todd shook his head, gritting his teeth. "You don't know what I've gone _through_!"

A sigh sounded. "She was that close to you..." Todd didn't respond to that, trying to keep Winnie close to him as he waited for his life to end. "I have lost those who I have loved... It devastated me, it knocked me down..." After a pause, it went on, "So to say that I have not experienced your sorrows is empty words, boy... only from one that is lost and confused."

Todd let out a sob, "S-Stop talking..."

"You have my condolences, boy..." Something large fell on his shoulder, making him slump down from the weight it had. "But you must know that she has passed... and no matter how long or hard you cry, she will not come back. It is a lost cause to let yourself crumble away, as much as you have the right to..."

"I-I can't leave her..." he whimpered weakly. "She doesn't like it when I break promises, and I won't do that to her." He clenched his eyes closed. "I _won't_ leave her!"

Something thudded from behind him, and soon he was pulled against his will to a cold surface. He cried out, trying to reach for his sister's SOUL, not wanting to abandon her. "S-Stop- I can't-" Soon he found that something large brushed his back, making him widen his eyes as he trembled. "N-No..." He felt hot tears rush down his cheeks as he was held, unable to return to his sister's side. "Winnie needs me!" he shouted desperately. "Let go of me!"

The strokes on his back continued, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't escape from the being. "WINNIE!" Soon he could only cry, sob, wail as he struggled... stopping when exhaustion seeped into him as he closed his eyes.

* * *

 _Todd stood in darkness, blinking absently as he stared into the abyss. It didn't occur to him why he was here, so he was baffled for why...  
_

 _Soon light blue light flicked on his left, and he blinked his eyes only to widen them when he saw Angie standing there, bathed in it._

 _"Angie!" he shouted out in relief, about to run up to her when he halted. Her head lowered, casting a shadow over her face. He screwed up his expression, breathing in confusion, "Angie? What's wrong...?"_

 _Before he could walk towards her, orange light appeared on his right, and he found Archie there... his head was lowered as well. "Archie?" Suddenly a roar of wind came from behind him, causing him to turn to Marley and Edgar who didn't look at him. "M-Marley...? E-Edgar...?"_

 _Looking at each of them, bewildered by her behavior, he breathed sharply as he asked nervously, "G-Guys...? What's wrong...?"_

 _"You let us die..."_

 _Todd jolted, turning to Archie as his expression was torn with anger. "I thought you, of all people, would protect_ them _!" yelled Archie as he took an abrupt step forward. "I trusted you, Todd! You_ were _my wingman, and you_ didn't _do what I asked you to do!_ Protect them _!"_

 _"Archie, I-I..." Todd froze, widening his eyes as blood started to dribble down Archie's mottled shirt. Before Todd knew it, blood was gushing down, pooling below Archie's feet._

 _"You're_ not _my best friend..." hissed Archie coldly, taking another step as a gaping hole opened up in his chest as more blood poured out. "_ No one _kills my friends! You're_ dead _to me!"_

 _Todd's breath hitched, backing away as he shook his head. "I-I_ wouldn't _..."_

 _"I gave you guys a chance to live!" Todd whipped his head, gasping as Angie trudged towards him, slowly falling to her knees as cracks sounded. Soon falling down, her legs at odd angles, Angie started to pull herself towards him. "And you ruined it for everyone, Todd! How could you!?"_

 _"Angie's right..." Upon hearing clear footsteps, Todd flinched when he found that Edgar was slowly inching towards him. His shoulder slowly beaded with scarlet, soon tearing open as blood leaked from a slice between his shoulder and opposite ribcage. "How can you live with yourself when you've wasted my death by letting your sister die!? I always knew you were dense, but I guess I was wrong..." His stony gaze locked on Todd's dark blue. "You're brainless! You don't know how to do anything but mess up everything for everyone!"_

 _"How fucking_ pathetic _!" crowed Marley, making Todd's blood go cold, afraid of looking at her. "Look at me when I'm fucking talking to you, Todd!" Todd trembled, watching Edgar, Archie, and Angie, through her crawling, close in on him. "TODD!"_

 _Something met his shoulder, causing him to stiffen as he whipped his head to Marley, only to scream in terror. The black girl's body was coated completely in blood from her terrible injuries that materialized over her, and to his horror her legs slid off, flopping on the ground as Marley crumpled at his feet. She grabbed his legs, making him try to yank them away as she snarled, "You're so damn_ stupid _,_ annoying _... why are you still_ alive _!? You should be fucking_ dead _! If you damn were-_ we _would still be alive!"_

 _No matter how hard he tried to move, her grip was too tight. Hyperventilating as his three other friends nearly got to him, he clenched his eyes closed, kicking Marley in the face, and dashed away when her clutch loosened._

 _"I'm sorry!" he shrieked shrilly as he felt tears fall from his eyes. "I was only trying to keep you all alive!"_

 _"No you didn't, Todd!" they yelled angrily after him. "You killed us!"_

 _Halting, Todd gasped as he saw a familiar green dress in the distance. With a shaky breath, he shook his head before sprinting towards his sister. "Winnie!" The moment he got to her, he hugged her from behind, holding her close as he whimpered brokenly, "Winnie... I'm here..."_

 _"B-Big B-Brother...?"_

 _"We have to get out of here!" He grabbed her hand, starting to pull her along as he breathed anxiously, "W-We're..." He was stopped abruptly._

 _Blinking in confusion, he turned to his sister who stood motionlessly. "W-Winnie? We have to go-"_

 _Her shoulders started to shake, and tears started running down her cheeks. "You didn't protect me..."_

 _Todd froze, shaking his head as he softened his voice. "I was, Winnie-"_

 _"Th-Then why did I die!?" sobbed Winnie as she shook her head. "Wh-Why did you let me die!?"_

 _Todd stared at her as his heart strained from pain, speechless as she let out a wail, "I thought you would protect me!" Slowly her apron became stained by blood. "Why didn't you protect me, Big Brother!?"_

 _His heart felt like it shattered, and he numbly stared at her as she sobbed hard. Soon he noticed how his friends were slowly approaching him and his sister, yelling at him, and when he tried to pull away from his sister, she clutched his wrist hard as she wailed, "I thought you wouldn't leave me! Why are you leaving me, Big Brother!? Do you hate me!? Why do you hate me!?"_

 _"I don't hate you..." he whimpered, staring at her numbly. "I'm sorry..."_

 _"Why are you lying to me!?"_

 _"I'm..." He bit his lip hard, shaking his head. "I-I'm not..."_

 _Slowly he was surrounded by everyone, shaking as they shouted at him, clenching his eyes closed as they all grabbed him roughly, not allowing him to move._

 _He threw his head up, feeling them pull him down to the ground that engulfed him... feeling his body break as darkness filled his vision._

 _"I'M SORRY!"_

Todd jerked awake, breathing heavily as he stared out into a brightly lit room. He flickered his eyes around; frantic about where he was until he closed his eyes, shaking his head before he flopped backwards.

 **'I'm sorry...'** he thought miserably as he slowed down his breathing, soon finding himself staring at a ceiling that loomed high above from where he lay. He noticed how soft the ground was, and it occurred to him he was in a bed... that felt uncomfortable to lie in. He let his mind not focus on that, only staring at the ceiling.

This wasn't where Winnie died...

Slowly he got up, swinging his legs over the side and got off. For a few seconds he blinked, noticing now that the bed he had been in wasn't the only one. Lined up in rows and columns were similar ones, varying in sizes and were all neatly made up. It didn't seem as though they have been used for a long time... but the sheets were fresh so someone must have changed them recently.

Soon he cast his gaze around, trying to pinpoint an exit when pounding sounded from nearby. He whipped his head to it, soon absently watching a Monster approaching.

It was a bipedal large dark brown bear, having the same body type and qualities one would have. He could tell it was a grizzly bear, but it had an unkempt bushy tail and sharp, upright ears that a wolf would have. As well, its snout stretched out more, with two long fangs that protruded over its lower lip. It wore a simple crimson tunic, with a crest that looked like it became worn from over time; and steel-plated leggings that went down until it reached the ankles. The Monster's huge hindpaws thudded at each step, and Todd assumed it was impossible for it to ever wear shoes.

"I see that you are finally awake," rumbled the Monster who stopped in front of Todd, but Todd refused to meet its sharp yellow eyes that peered down at him. "That is most welcoming after you fainted."

"...Wh-Why did you take me away from her!?" growled Todd bitterly, clenching his fists. "I was supposed to stay with her-"

"Calm down, boy." Slowly Todd felt himself be nudged over to a bed, but Todd refused to sit down. "It may be best if you rest for now, and I am sure you are confused about your whereabouts..." Todd didn't reply to that, instead staring absently at the ground. "I can answer your questions, so I ask of you to settle down before I reveal anything. I know it is hard for you to do this, but please... do so for your sake."

Todd blinked, soon allowing himself to sit, knowing the Monster wouldn't be pleased with him if he didn't. He held his hands together, silently watching as the Monster brought his paw to his chest, noticing the hooked claws slightly twitch as the Monster gave a rumble, "Foremost, my name is Arturo Aril, the Swing blade of Might." After letting his paw fall from his chest, he gestured it to Todd. "Now, what is your name, boy?"

The dark brown haired boy lowered his head, looking away as he closed his eyes. "Does it really matter? I'm going to be killed soon."

"Not if you hold your head up high, and press on the best that you can, boy," replied Arturo evenly, soon moving to sit down on a neighboring bed and looked at him. "The fire within you is faint, but only because you refuse to give it oxygen to thrive. I know you do not mean that." He soon paused, inhaling a hefty breath before he spoke gently, "Boy, I would like to know your name. Even if you are bleak about giving it out at a time like this."

With a sigh, noting how the Monster seemed genuinely interested in his name, Todd closed his eyes. "...It's Todd."

"Todd..." It sounded like the Monster was testing it on his tongue, soon giving out a rumble, "Now that we are acquainted, do you have any questions for me."

For a while Todd ignored the Monster, soon looking back at his face and saw that the Monster was calmly waiting for Todd to speak. With a sigh, Todd mumbled, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I brought you here... because you would have been killed by the Captain of the Royal Guard," came the grizzly wolf Monster's reply reluctantly, soon shifting as his yellow eyes met Todd's. "He is hunting you at this very moment, and I know all too well that he would cut you down where he finds you. I could not let more blood or dust be shed, so I covertly brought you here before he was aware of your location."

"And here is...?" Todd slurred dully.

"Here is the Lab of our Royal Scientist, who used to be our Royal Doctor before the castle was finished being built… but his whereabouts are now unknown to us." explained Arturo as he cast his gaze away. "He went missing a month ago... and we have yet to find him."

"So... was this... a hospital?" asked Todd quietly.

"What is a hospital?" asked Arturo deeply; seemingly interested in the subject.

"A place where people who get hurt or sick go to get better..."

"Ah, then the Lab used to be a hospital," said Arturo with a nod. "Sick Monsters used to come to him, and get treatments that cured them. He was a brilliant Monster, one that I knew well..." His eyebrows furrowed. "If it were not for him, I would probably be renting out a room in Snowed Inn for my whole life… and that would not sit well with me that I am hindering Chester's business."

Todd blinked, staring at the Monster as he asked, "But why don't you have a home?"

With a slight grin, the Monster replied, "The other Monsters deserve a home, and I rather not deprive a Monster of that luxury."

After a few seconds the Monster got up, soon stretching before he gave a glance to Todd. "Now, I have business to take care of… Todd. I would like you to stay here until I return, for it is safer here than outside."

As the Monster made a move towards the door, Todd spoke up when the grizzly Monster was almost gone, "Wait-"

"Hmm?" The bear-wolf hybrid halted, turning his head slightly. "Do you need something?"

"You said earlier…" Todd lowered his head. " _'We have yet to find him'_? What did you mean by that?"

For a few seconds, the Monster was silent, stationary as his bushy tail twitched, soon sighing. "That is… all the Monsters are worried about him, and we all are trying our best to find him. We owe him so much for what he has done for the Underground, and we dread the worst has happened to him."

With that, the wolf bear hybrid walked down the hallway.

* * *

It was a few hours later when Todd heard the pounding of steps, but he didn't look up as Arturo walked past and heard the Monster stop. "Todd… I will be gone for the unseen future, to do some errands that I failed to finish yesterday. I want you to stay here until I return to the Lab."

Todd didn't respond to that, ignoring the items that Arturo slowly put on his bed. "These are for you, Todd. It would be good for you to eat."

At once Todd flinched. _"Look, Todd, you need to eat something. It's not healthy for you."_ Biting his lip, Todd shook his head, breathing shakily as he clenched his hands.

The Monster put his large paw on Todd's shoulder, making Todd and the bed sink down as he murmured, "Please… eat when you are hungry. You should not starve yourself…"

Todd merely shook, feeling the Monster's paw leave before the sound of Arturo's footsteps disappeared. **'I don't want to eat… I can't eat… Why do I need to eat?'**

After a minute or two, Todd shifted slightly, glancing at the strange food items that lay on the bed beside him. There was a duel-coloured pear-like fruit, that had faded flaky leaves sticking out from the top and was grey with pink stripes that looked so rough it made Todd wonder if it was really a painted rock; a bright yellow cylinder, that had a black lid that was sealed with a brown melted substance that might have been wax; a clear square container that contained a goopy, lumpy ash-coloured fluid; and two charcoal coloured pastries; that might have been some sort of muffin or bread that was dotted with tiny green berries.

Blowing out a sigh, Todd shook his head with despondence. Food wasn't what he needed right now, he felt sick at the thought of eating…

" _Look at what I made, Big Brother!"_ He grimaced, breathing unsteadily as he heard his sister's upbeat voice. _"Toriel calls them Spindlesnap Cookies, and I made a lot with her! Do you want to try one?"_

He remembered her big, hopeful smile when she said that… remembered how he smiled back and replied, _"Not now… but I'll try one later. I promise."_

" _Okay, Big Brother~!"_ Her gleeful giggles made his heart sink.

Todd whimpered wretchedly, feeling heat behind his eyes as tears rolled down his face. **'I'm sorry, Winnie… I'm sure you worked so hard at making them, and I should have ate them when you offered them to me!'** He shook his head as he took in a sharp inhale. **'I'm sorry!'**

His blurry gaze drew to his hands soon… remembering how hours ago he held his sister's hand for the last time.

" _D-Don't leave me..."_

Clenching his eyes shut, Todd let out a sob, shaking as he sat on the bed. He shouldn't have let her die! But the Monsters took her away from him! They took everyone away from him!

He had to go back.

Getting up, hiccupping, he turned his head to the hallway, and began to trudge towards it. Using the walls as support when the memory of her death began to run through his mind, he slowly made progress in traveling through the corridors. In a few minutes he found himself standing nearby a door that he couldn't open, so he continued through the halls until he found himself before an elevator door. He pushed the button, hearing it swoosh open before he entered. He pressed the button to go up halfheartedly, feeling the elevator vibrate as he ascended and left the tiny space.

Upon standing outside, he found himself in the lab Winnie and him discovered earlier.

Clenching his hands into fists, he turned on his heels, heading straight towards the exit. After a few steps, he stopped when his body was lit by the screen that flickered and buzzed, facing it when he heard something mumble from it.

"I r-wonder r-what the captain r-wants to talk about r-with me?"

Absently he stepped up to the table with four pink pads, noticing a familiar Great Pyrenees on the monitor who was vigorously pacing back and forth, wagging his tail as he barked, "Maybe he r-wants to just tell me I'm doing a great job! Maybe he r-wants to ask how I've been! R- _Woot_! I hope he gets here soon!"

 **'It's… It's a video feed,'** thought Todd blandly, sighing soon as he shook his head with annoyance. **'I don't want to see this! Not after what he's done!'**

Slamming his hand down on the table, the monitor switched to snowy scenery where little Monsters were playing in the snow.

 **'It... it changed!?'** thought Todd in shock, soon noticing his hand was resting on one of the pink pads. **'Is... Is this a control pad or something!? A _control_ _pad_ or _something_ that allows me to watch the Underground!?'  
**

"Mommy! Mommy!" A small Monster was running up to a larger version of itself who was differently coloured. "Look at my snow poff!"

Todd clenched his fist, slamming it down on another pad, not wanting to see that either.

"Say… would you look at this!" A Monster was going through a trash pile in the garbage zone Todd woke up in. "Another icky Human food!" Holding it up in the air, the skinny Monster held up a candy bar. "Sheesh, it's no wonder why here! This is basically junk!?"

The dark brown boy growled in frustration, slamming his fist down again and again, seeing the monitor switch instantly until he heard a voice.

"Hey, Xander… how about we stop here?"

Todd stiffened, letting his fists hover above the buttons, slowly lifting his gaze to see the same Royal Guard members that killed Winnie. Just seeing them made his blood boil, breathing in and out as he watched them walking along a path, and at the bottom of the monitor he saw L2 flashing at the corner of it.

Watching the numbers flash, Todd blinked slowly. He focused on the area they were in, and gritted his teeth as he thought, **'How could you… get away with this?'** He closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head as he breathed in and out heavily. **'How could you get away with killing my sister!?'**

"Carmel, I don't like looking at the lava… It's always there, so what's so special about it!?" growled Xander who turned swiftly to the tawny otter, who's owl tufted ears twitched. "Could you tell me why you're acting like this!?"

"I…" Her words were soft and uncertain. "After what's been happening lately… hearing about what occurred in Snowdin… I can't help but think about enjoying what we have now."

"Tsk." The lanky Monster shook his head. "Are you serious!? We have nothing to worry about! As much as I don't like it… the Captain will deal with that Human and bring us closer to breaking the Barrier! We just need to relax!"

"Hmm… I guess you are right," said Carmel unconvinced, flicking her tail tip's spiky fluff before she sighed. "But, for all we know… the Captain could fail. We could all die… If we had just killed that Human when we had the chance, we wouldn't have to wait for the Captain to do it himself. We wouldn't have to worry, we wouldn't have to wait…" With a pregnant pause, she shook. "This isn't helping any Monster."

"I know that, feh. As long as we make sure the next two Humans are killed, everything will be worth the trouble."

Todd's breath hitched and his eyes dilated.

 _"I-It…_ hurts _…"_

Winnie's blank eyes filled his mind, and for a moment he felt the ghosting of her dead body cradled by him... as well as her blood.

 **'Nothing was worth it, you killed Winnie…'** Todd quivered, narrowing his dark blue eyes as he clenched his fists more. **'You _killed_** **Winnie** **!'** Shaking, his breath hitched before he whipped out his revolver, and pulled it up. **'YOU _KILLED_ WINNIE!'**

A shatter filled the air when his bullet shot into the glass.

Falling down, feeling the dusting of glass fall on his head, he shook as he faced the ground. His wrists immediately ached; the kickback dealt to them made him grimace as he let out a sob, feeling his tears drop on his sore hands as he bit his lip. **'You two…** _ **don't**_ **deserve to live… How could you live and walk around when you murdered my sister!? You took her life, yet you're still here! Why are you still here!?'**

Feeling the revolver he held in his hands, he slightly glanced at it, watching it glint from the sputtering static coming from the broken screen, then frowned. He didn't know why, but he couldn't help but think of one thing.

 **'You should die…'**

Raising his head, flinching from the static sputtering from above his head, he stared at the gaping hole he made. It was a rather sloppy shot… but he knew it could become better. He could shoot his father's revolver better… he knew he could.

He picked himself up, feeling the glass slide off as he focused his vision on the broken screen. He was silent for a few seconds before he tightened his grip on his revolver.

 **'You _need_ to die...'**

" _I want you to stay here until I return to the Lab."_

Grimacing, Todd knew very well that he couldn't comply with the Monster's request. Even if he was being hunted, Todd knew he could be alert during his time outside of the Lab. As long as he did that, he would be fine. So Todd shook his head. **'No. I won't do that, Arturo… I know you're looking out for me, but I need to do this.'**

Turning on his heel, he was about to stride out of the Lab when something occurred to him. If he tried to fight the Monsters… he could get injured then be killed. He knew for one thing that wasn't something he wanted to happen, unless he had something to heal himself with. He knew Arturo left some food items for him back in the room he woke up in, so with a grimace, he swiftly went back to the elevator, and went down to retrieve the necessary items.

* * *

Todd patted his pants pockets, just to be sure he had the food (that he could fit in) secure before he left the Lab. He stepped onto familiar orange grainy terrain, warily glancing around for a few moments before he continued forward, heading straight to the elevator and entered it. He glanced at the array of buttons, checking each one for the one he needed, and found it in less than twenty seconds. Right away he pressed it, only to bite his lip when it failed to work. **'It must still be disabled…'**

After checking the buttons, he soon found that the only button that worked was the button from before. He pressed it quickly, hearing the elevator hum to life and bring him to the level. Getting out, he threw his head around, soon blinking before stopping. **'How do I get to them from here…?'**

He took in a hefty inhale, closing his eyes as he tried to remember exactly where they might have gone. But seeing how there was only one direction he could go, he decided he could wander down the path until he found them.

Todd only stopped at a familiar fork in the path, turning to see his sister's dead body in the distance. At once he felt heat behind his eyes, walking towards it as he approached his dead sister. But upon noticing that her Green SOUL was missing, he couldn't help but feel his chest constrict, collapsing to his knees as he grabbed her cold hand. **'W-Where… where did her SOUL go!? It was here! I had it in my hands- where!?'**

Lowering his gaze, he bit into his lip until he tasted his own blood. He didn't exactly know who could have taken her SOUL, but at the moment, he knew he didn't have time to look for that. Once he did what had to be done, he could go look for his sister's SOUL... as much as he wanted to do that right now.

He brushed her hand, feeling her soft skin against his own before he squeezed it. "Don't worry…" he said gently to her. "I'm here for you, Winnie." With a slight smile, he chuckled. "I'm going to make them pay for what they've done to you. I'll be back for you soon, I'm not going to leave you." Slowly bringing his hand over to her small face, he brushed her eyelids over her glassy eyes before painfully leaving her. "I won't let them get away with this."

Todd trotted down the path, slowing to a stop upon seeing conveyor belts running briskly. He briefly skimmed his gaze over the area, soon stopping when he noticed something glinting in the distance. It looked like a strange square, which was in the stubby grasp of a small creature that was hopping back and forth on the spot. Todd furrowed his eyebrows, not wanting to deal with another Monster… but he knew for certain that it had to know how to get rid of the laser beams that was blocking the rest of the path. He sighed, taking a step onto the conveyor until he reached the other side, and walked towards the Monster.

"Hey…" he said quietly as he knelt down, which earned him the attention of the small spiky furred mouse-like creature. "What do you have there, little guy?"

As its large purple eye stared at him, its two other tiny paler eyes on the sides of it's face slowly twitched to him as well. After a minute of scrutinizing him, it gave a chatter of its blunt buckteeth, soon speaking up with a wave of its stubby talon, "Oh… I got nothen', bucko."

Todd grimaced, not expecting to hear that shrewd response. With a inhale, he frowned as he spoke to it, "I can see that you have that thing." He pointed at it, soon locking his gaze with its largest eye. "Do you know what it's for?"

"I foundit, bucko," squeaked the Monster with a snort, and turned its back to him. "Fair, and scuare…" With a hop away, it spat, "Sow why don'tja scuurrie off and leave me alone!"

At once Todd clenched his fists, glaring at it as he growled, "Hey, I was just asking about it!"

"Sow yew saay…" slurred the Monster as it's skinny lion-like tail swatted him in the face, causing him to yelp and wince upon getting pricked with the spike at the end of it. "I wanta be in peace, bucko, sow why don'tja tacka hike!" it growled.

Before it could leave, Todd let out a frustrated growl before he lunged forward, grabbing its tail and lifted it up. "What's wrong with you?" he asked bitterly, shaking it as he glared at it. "You're treating me like dirt, and we've just met!"

"Yew're twreeteng me like dert aas swell, bucko!" it squealed as it swayed back and forth, chattering its teeth in irritation. "Let go of me, and go away!"

"Could you _please_ , _tell me_ , what you _have_?" he snapped as he lifted it up to his face, jabbing his finger towards it as he set his jaw rigid. "I'll let go of you after- _argh_!"

Falling down, it scurried onto the conveyor belt. "Nota chaance, _bucko_!"

Todd hissed in a painful breath, shaking his finger that was bitten. For a few moments he quivered in anger before he clenched his hands, immediately haring after it. "Come back here!"

He jumped on the conveyor belt, walking forward to go faster as he kept his gaze on the swift Monster. When he saw it was about to escape from the way he came, without thinking he pulled out his revolver, slid in a bullet, and pulled the trigger.

His aim was off (luckily not harming the Monster), and made it freeze in its place right where his bullet met the ground. With a whip of its head, it squealed out in shock, "What was _dat_!?" Todd quickly caught up to it, quickly sliding in more bullets as it twitched for a few moments before it let out a shout, " _Hey_! Didja do dat, _bucko_!?"

"I had, _nothing_ to do with that, _bucko_!" Todd growled as he swiped at it, his hand meeting thin air instead of catching its tail like he wanted to. Right away the Monster ran off towards the conveyor belt Todd originally took, and he followed after it with his gun loaded. If he could somehow scare it enough, he could easily catch it. As long as he didn't harm it, he could get on with his search.

Trying to steady the revolver, he struggled to aim it towards the ruddy-furred Monster, who was trying to bolt towards the other conveyor belt, then pushed down on the trigger and gave out a growl when he accidentally hit the conveyor belt. The Monster got on it, sticking out its long grey tongue at him, which made him angrier as he ran onto the moving ground as well. He gave out a cry of surprise when the conveyor belt jerked to a stop, and Todd almost dropped his gun when that happened.

Todd wondered what happened when he noticed how the conveyor belt shuddered from a rip being caught by it, and he realized soon that he made it stop. Upon meeting the eye of the shocked Monster, the Monster soon cringed and scampered away, flying towards the only way out. After half a second, Todd brought his gun up again, sloppily steadying it before shooting another shot.

The Monster once again stopped, backing away before whipping its head to him when Todd came over to it. "Sow… its yew who's doen' dis!" it yelped.

"I'm just trying to talk to you!" cried Todd as he shook his revolver towards it, growling under his breath as he snarled, "If you would just stop trying to run away from me, and explain what that is…" He stomped down when it sharply turned its pudgy face away. "Then I would go away!"

"I don't feel like doen' dat, bucko…" With a sniff, it gave a cheeky smirk as it toddled backwards. "I don't dink dat's part of my poliscies… and I rather like dis for my collection…"

"Why _you_ …" With a snap of his wrists, he pointed the gun at the Monster. " _Just_ … let go of your attitude, give me that thing, and I'll leave you alone," he said sternly and slowly. "I don't want to waste anymore of your time, and I don't want to do something I'll regret."

"Like what, kill me?" it squeaked blatantly, giving a short-lived high-pitched cackle. "Like yew could do dat with dat boom-maker, bucko! Its twrash, justa _stewpid_ _toy_!" It gave a swish of its skinny, lion-like tail with a spike at the end, wagging its tiny talon, then crowed, "I havta wonder why yew're playen' around with _dat_ _crud_." With that, it ran off towards the conveyor belt, giving a chortle as it gave a mocking yawn. "Don't wasteja time, bud…"

Todd was about to get on the conveyor belt when he remembered that the other one stopped moving, stiffly turning to it before he bolted across the still platform. When he got to the other side, the Monster gave a squeak before it spun around and tried to run back across the conveyor belt, only to be pulled back towards Todd. With a sharp turn of its head, it squealed haughtily, "Yew're just a buncha talk, bucko! I havta wonder who raised yew to be sow _annoiyen_ '!"

Right away Todd went rigid, shaking as he narrowed his dark blue eyes into slits. "…What did you just say?"

It whistled before it piped, "Oh? Did I nip a nerve?" It lashed its skinny tail before it let out a laugh. "I bet yewr family gave yew dat boom-maker sow yew wouldn't havta bother dem…"

Trembling, Todd took a step forward. "Take that back."

"I guess I did, huh?" It twirled the object on its tiny talon, giggling sharply. "But where are dey? Do yew even have any of dem left to deal with yew?"

Todd couldn't take how annoying this Monster was, how horrible it was, how insensitive it was being to him. Right now all he wanted to do was ram his revolver into its body, just so it wouldn't give another slander…

"I bet dey didn't even lov' yew…"

Within seconds, Todd pulled the trigger, staggering back from the shock as he watched the Monster fly onto the conveyor belt. Before he knew it, the Monster vanished, and grey residue fell and gathered on the object it once held.

 **'NO!'** Todd widened his eyes, staring down at his revolver in horror. **'I killed it! How could I-'**

His thoughts stopped the moment something strange struck through him. Doubling over, his heart started to twist and tighten, and he dropped his gun to grab his shirt from how much pain it was in. He yelped, whimpering, baffled about why his heart hurt. He clenched his eyes closed, trembling madly as tears ran down his cheeks… wanting the agony to end-

Then it did.

Blinking for a long time, he soon absently stared at the dust pile that disappeared with the conveyor belt, soon hearing the moving platform screech in protest as it slowly stopped moving. But all Todd did was stare at the remains of the Monster… it had to be from it. He remembered what Arturo told him earlier, about how Monsters became dust when they died… Then he inhaled, somewhat happy the Monster was no longer alive.

 **'Stupid rodent,'** he thought satisfied as he ambled over, letting his fingers brush against the sticky dust before wiping it on the broken conveyor belt. **'It had it coming to them.'** Ignoring the horrible texture that the object now had, he began to rub his hand across it, trying to scrub off the substance before he examined it. **'Good** _ **riddance**_ **…'**

It was a small, square grey object that had a dull spike at one side, along with a dark purple half-sphere jutting from the center of it. He moved it up and down, blinking as he wondered what it was and tested the button, soon hearing a beep from nearby.

Whipping his head up, he saw a light turn green from the machine beside the conveyor belt. Todd walked over to it, ignoring how the residue clung to his boots, and studied it for a few seconds. He moved the remote in different angles, soon wondering if the spike at the top was something he had to point with. Traveling down the stopped conveyor belt, he pointed the remote at the flashing red light, and pressed the button. Upon haring another beep, a hiss sounded from behind Todd.

Todd spun around, finding that the laser beam was gone. He gave a sigh of relief, throwing down the remote, retrieving his father's revolver before he walked towards the accessible path.

Stepping forward, stretching before him were pillars rising from the large abyss before him, connected to each other by green metal beams; and far off on his left, he saw more conveyor belts that rolled from the land on the other side towards his direction. As soon as turned to his right and walked over to the end of the path, he saw a black vertical marking on the ground that faintly flashed once and a while.

 **'I wonder…'** Todd deeply breathed in, blinking as he tried to stretch head up, looking over at the wide columns to notice a similar marking. With a shrug, he stepped on the pattern, feeling his stomach lurch before finding himself on a pillar on the corner, flanking the conveyor belts. It took him a few seconds until he recovered from that unexpected jolt, now noticing two new markings…

One that was a white swirl… the other was a blue square.

He blinked, wondering what happened when he noticed a marking below his feet. It was the exact same one he stepped on.

The marking teleported him… so he had to guess those two markings were linked.

With a grimace, Todd wished Edgar was here. Edgar could shed some light on the situation… and tell Todd which one he should step on.

For some reason, Todd didn't feel that bothered by it, and he only heard inaudible words from Edgar echoing in his head… He took a moment to wonder why he didn't before he gave a shrug, taking a step on the blue one.

He found himself back where he started in front of the black symbol, giving a sigh before he stepped back on. This time Todd went on the white marking, finding himself this time on a pillar that was a feet across from where the initial black marking was. For a second he took in the two new markings near the edge, a green triangle and a yellow zigzag; then stepped on the one that was green.

It didn't surprise him when he got to the beginning again. **'Hmm… back here again, huh?'** Todd felt it would be helpful to have Edgar with him, but he knew wishing that wouldn't help him... it was honestly useless and stupid right now. He instead used the same symbols again, soon reaching the point that he got stuck on.

After going on the yellow marking, he found himself on a pillar on the other corner that was far across from the first pillar he got to on the other corner. This one had a purple circle and three straight vertical red lines for symbols on the ground…

 **'Okay…'** Todd grilled his brain, pondering about which one he should take. He really didn't want to go back to the beginning; he already wasted enough time as it is with that stupid rodent Monster and this puzzle… and he didn't want to lose track of the two Monsters that killed his sister if they left the area they had been in… **'What made the markings the wrong ones, and what made the markings the right ones?'**

After a few minutes of standing there, struggling to figure it out… it occurred to him that the wrong markings were ones that had connecting lines. With a facepalm, he soon went on the red symbol and found himself close to the other corner, finding more markings.

Within two minutes Todd got to a pillar that had a single white horizontal marking, with the exact same one right across from him. Todd felt he should have been proud that he solved the puzzle… yet he didn't. He merely stepped on the marking, teleporting to the next one before walking away from the puzzle.

Todd strode for a while, hearing nothing but his footsteps and the lava in the distance. **'Winnie… this is for you.'** He only halted to pop in more bullets, just to be sure that the six chambers in his revolver were filled, then took in a deep breath and continued on. ' **I will not let them get away from me… I _will_ give them the same pain they gave you.'**

Soon he reached another turn that he took, and headed straight until he entered an area that branched off to other islands. The islands, from what he could see, were connected by short, thick salmon-coloured wires that were melded together and some more skinny, green metal beams.

He cast his gaze around, wondering if he was close to finding the Monsters when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

Todd hardened his dark blue eyes as he spotted the two Monsters, who were on the island ahead of him. They weren't close enough to see him apparently, so he slowly slid out his father's revolver and steadied it.

"…Carmel, you've been asking that for the last hour…" came the lazy growl of the lizard Monster who shook his head at her. "I think you're becoming paranoid."

"But I thought I heard something, from over there!" she exclaimed as she lashed her two tails, soon placing her paws on her mouth as she gasped, "What if it's the Human!?"

"If you think that the Captain is that incompetent in finding and killing the Human, Carmel, I think you should really go home and relax."

"But, Xander!" protested Carmel with a huff. "We've been training for this ever since we've joined the Royal Guards, this isn't something to go lax on! If we don't do our jobs right, innocent Monsters will be harmed!" After a few seconds of silence, she shook her head. "I trust the Captain, I know he's capable of hunting down the last Human..." She then bowed her head. "But that doesn't mean I can't stop worrying about this!"

As her fellow Monster gave a grumble, she fell to her four paws and started walking in Todd's direction. "Hey!" shouted the greyish green Monster who sharply whipped to her. "What do you think you're doing, Carmel!?"

"I'm going to check, just in case..."

" _Fine_! Do that if that'll shut your jaw off!"

Todd narrowed his eyes; tightening his grasp on his revolver as the otter Monster slowly approached him. Slowly he raised his revolver up, breathing in and out as he tried to judge his aim... but he realized the Monster was too far away for him to get an accurate shot in. With an irritated sigh, he started walking towards the Monster, watching as the tawny otter froze, giving a gasp in horror as her fur bristled.

At once the Monster jumped back, yelling out frantically, "Xander!" As Todd readied his next shot, she yelled louder, " _Xander_ , it's the Human!"

"For the last time, _Carmel_ -" As soon as Xander ran up to her, he halted by her side as he gave a hiss, "What the-" At once he reached behind his back, bringing out his jagged blade in a flash as he shouted, "YOU!" Todd set his glare on them, not moving as the Monster hissed out, "What are you doing here!?"

"I was hoping to find you," growled Todd coldly, keeping his grasp firm as he watched Carmel slowly bring out and put on her gold claw extensions. "And I guess I lucked out."

Slowly Carmel's owl-like ears sharply pointed forward, and she wiggled her golden claws as she growled, "We should have killed you when we had the chance."

" _Oh_ , I guess you realized that now…" slurred Todd icily, taking a step forward as he thumbed the trigger on his revolver. "Or maybe you should have realized that before you killed my sister!"

"Is that it?" asked Carmel with a humourless laugh, frowning deeply as she raised her hackles. "Revenge?"

"I think of it more as delivering the means you _deserve_!" snarled Todd bitterly as he took a step forward, recalling how they killed her sister to fuel his resolve. "I never cared about how we're supposed to be enemies… I _never did_ … that was, until you _killed_ her! _Slaughtering_ _her_ when she never had a _single_ _intent_ to harm anyone in her _entire_ _life_ -" After stomping down, breathing harshly, he roared, "She _never_ deserved to _die_!"

"Tsk… you actually do look pissed…" Xander's orange slitted eyes narrowed as he brought out another blade, pointing that one towards Todd as he snarled, "But I guess this means you wish for death by coming to us!"

"Do you know if the Captain is nearby?" asked Carmel warily, flicking her head up to her fellow member.

"I don't care! We're here, the Human's here…" Xander lashed his long scaly tail before he crouched with sheer bellicosity. "It's _our_ duty to kill them now! We did it _once_ , we can do it _twice_ , Carmel!"

Carmel merely frowned at that, soon setting her honey-coloured gaze on Todd as a wisp of smoke fluttered from her fake claw tip. "Of course."

At once the bipedal lizard sprang forward, whipping his blade towards Todd as he jumped to avoid the blow. He thrust his revolver up, blocking the blade before it could slice his side open and jumped back. Before the Monster could swing another blow, Todd readied his revolver to shoot the reptile when he caught movement from the side of his eye.

Spinning around, he lurched backwards to avoid Carmel's pounce, striking her quick claws that were about to rake his arms. He stomped his foot down to steady himself and swung his revolver at Carmel before she could land a hit on him.

Carmel cried out as he swatted her in the throat, making her roll across the ground, causing Xander to cry out, "Carmel!"

"I'm okay!" shouted Carmel as she slowly rose. "Focus on the Human!"

While Xander was concentrated on his comrade, Todd immediately took the opportunity to ready his shot. He was in perfect view this time, and there was no way he could miss… so he pulled the trigger. Upon hearing Xander scream in agony, Todd smirked, feeling a rush of triumph before he put room between himself and the Monster.

"What was that!?" cried Xander as Carmel sprang towards him on her fours, soon standing on her hindpaws again as her wide expression was filled with horror.

"I don't know! I've never seen an attack like that before!" she shouted before she whipped her head to Todd, letting out a growl as she snapped, "You're going to pay for that, Human!"

Todd kept his expression hardened as he aimed his revolver, stepping back as Carmel bolted towards him. The moment she launched herself into the air was when Todd raised his revolver, and he waited until she almost tackled him before he gave his next shot. At once she squealed in pain, and he thrust himself to the side to not have her crash into him.

Upon turning to her, he saw her crying out as she twisted on the ground in agony. Todd gave a swift look to his revolver, smiling back at his reflection in his revolver only to frown and whip his head back to the Monster when her pained noises ceased. Carmel shakily got up, having smoke blow from her paws as she growled, "That hurt like hell! I guess I should deliver it back you!"

"Bring it!" retorted Todd before he cried out in agony, stumbling forward as steam drifted around him. Before he could take a moment to wonder what that was, he jumped when a geyser of fire burst from the ground. He gave a growl as he thought in frustraion, **'But of course she has fire magic! I should have remembered that Monsters don't just attack with weapons!'**

Jumping and dodging each geyser, he skidded on the coarse orange terrain and soon fell backwards as a geyser flew into the air in front of him. Before he could get up, a battle cry sounded behind him and he rolled to the side to avoid the lizard that was about to charge into him. He breathed in and out, keeping a firm grip on his revolver as the bipedal reptile came back towards him, wielding blades high in the air.

Before Todd could aim his revolver, a torrent of fire struck him, making him fall down painfully as he noticed how butterflies that were made of flames circled from above before diving down at him. Right away he rolled out of the way before they hit him, soon circling above again as he weakly got up. **'Seriously!? Fire _butterflies_!? _Seriously_!?' ** he thought in dismay as he swerved to the side to avoid being swarmed by the fiery insects. **'This is _crazy_!'  
**

Todd kept hopping around the area, trying to avoid being pelted by the fire butterflies that kept homing on him. For a second he tried to aim a shot at them to destroy the magic, only to cry out as they singed his hand. His revolver fell at his feet as he collapsed to his knees, gripping his hand as he tried to stifle his whimpers.

Suddenly something struck his side, and Todd soon tumbled on the ground briefly before he weakly propped himself up to look at the blade-wielding Monster. "Nothing will stop us from killing you _this_ time, Human…" growled Xander coldly as he crouched again, raising his jagged blades towards Todd. "There's no running away..."

"I don't plan on running," hissed Todd as he shook, soon rushing towards his revolver, snatching it up and grimacing from the pain he felt in his hand. "I plan on ending this!"

"Then die!" cried Xander before he leapt towards Todd, swinging his blades into the ground, which caused a wave of fire to fly from the impact. Todd right away thrust himself away, avoiding the fire before the clanging of the blades warned him more attacks were coming. One by one, surges of flames flew at him, and he tried his best to run past them, grunting as he thrust himself over a geyser of fire that blew up, blocking the incoming fire torrent and creating a safe ground for Todd to stand in.

With a quick glance at the otter Monster, whose fake claws expelled smoke constantly, he noticed her grimace as she curled her claws together and brought it close to her breastplate. Upon meeting her pained gaze, she hissed before she bolted on all fours at him, knocking into him before he had a chance to avoid her charge and got a battering of hot metal in his face. He screamed in agony, wrestling with the otter who was determined to melt his face off. The moment he rolled them over on their sides, he kicked the otter Monster right in the stomach, making her curl up in pain as he made a break away.

After getting enough space between her and him, he breathed in and out heavily, feeling his numb, throbbing face and found he had bleeding blisters when he drew his hand away. He stared at it for a while, widening his eyes as faint flashes ran through his mind.

Archie being stabbed in the chest; blood gushing from his life-ending wound.

Marley's sliced up body; blood crusting it all over.

Edgar's cleanly struck wound; blood trickled down but was still fresh.

Winnie's back that bled from Carmel's deep claw wound… Winnie's apron was probably ruined from all the blood that it absorbed when he tried to stop the bleeding.

The fear running through him transformed into rage as he glared at the tawny Monster, who was slowly being hoisted up by her fellow Royal Guard member. **'It's** _ **her**_ **fault…** _ **she**_ **needs to die first! If it weren't for _her_ \- Winnie would still be alive!'**

His vision blurred briefly, making him grimace as blood slid down his face, to his chin, and dripping onto his shirt. He breathed in and out, feeling lightheaded as he slowly fell to his knees, stifling his whimper of pain as his sore burned hand protested from the pressure he used on it.

 **'But… I can hardly fight them like this-'**

An unexpected blow to his abdomen extracted all of his oxygen from his body, expelling him forward until he felt air fly around him. Immediately he threw his hands up, catching a green metal beam with both of them, although it was almost unbearable using his injured hand. He grimaced painfully, breathing in and out as he struggled to grasp the warm beam tightly. And below him he heard gurgles of lava, making him gulp as he thought fearfully, **'Oh no…'**

" _Shit_!" hissed the lizard Monster loudly. " _Shit, shit, shit_!"

"What did you do that for, Xander!?" screamed Carmel in appall and anger.

"I didn't mean to do that! I struck him too hard, that's all, Carmel!"

"Did he fall over the edge!? What if he's gone!?"

"Let me check-" His shaky vision soon had the bipedal reptile come into it to leer down at him. The Monster gave a mutter under his breath before he growled, "He's clinging to the metal beams, Carmel! He's fine for now!"

" _Oh no_!" Upon seeing Carmel join the Monster's side, she peered down at Todd with horrified eyes. "We can't let that Human fall in the lava!"

"I know that, Carmel!" spat Xander with frustration as he instantly reached for Todd, straining to lean forward to try to grasp Todd's hands. "If we do… then we have to wait for two more Humans to come here before we can go to the Surface!" Suddenly he gave a yelp, almost plunging forward if it hadn't been for Carmel taking a hold of his waist and tugging him away from the edge.

"We have to be careful…" she murmured. "Especially you, Xander."

"Did you just hear me!?" snarled Xander with a sharp glare at his fellow Royal Guard Member, who flinched and stared at him wide-eyed. "I know that, dammit! We can't get his SOUL if he swims in that hot shit!"

With twitches of her ears, her tails swishing nervously, the shorter Monster soon murmured, "…I'm lighter than you…" Carmel slowly approached the steel beams, going on all of her paws to balance on them as she crept closer to Todd. "The steel beams can't hold your weight, so let me help the Human up."

In response, the artichoke-coloured lizard gave a huff then took a step back, turning his face away as he tapped his foot. "Alright… just do it quickly."

Todd bit his lip, trying his best to hold on as the Monster's concentrated expression loomed over him. **'Don't you dare come near me…'** he thought bitterly as he felt himself dangling, soon feeling sweat slide from his hands as he growled under his breath. **'I don't want your help! Leave me alone if you want me to die!'**

Slowly the face of the Monster drew closer to him, her claw extensions shaking as they neared Todd's hands. Todd didn't want this happening to him; he knew the Monsters would only kill him if he didn't fall into the lava. It was pitiful… how he couldn't even avenge his sister… nor could he save the rest of his friends who died because of him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head while ignoring the pain his face protested as he thought wretchedly, **'I-I'm _so_ sorry, everyone…' ** As he took in shaky breaths, he bit his lip. **'A-Angie…'**

 _"Get away from my friend!"_

He blinked, knowing that there was no escaping this.

 **'A-Archie…'**

 _"I'm not going to let you kill my best friend!"_

He didn't want to let them kill him so easily; he wouldn't allow that.

 **'Marley…'**

 _"Only idiots would jump out of here."_

He wasn't an idiot; falling down wouldn't solve anything.

 _"You just sat there- trying to get yourself killed- and for what!? Because Archie saved you!?_ Pathetic _!"_

He wasn't pathetic; he wasn't going to take this.

 **'Edgar…'**

 _"I know you're still grieving, Todd, but we shouldn't forget about the things around us that really matter."_

He didn't want to die without trying to bring down the Monsters that took away the person who mattered the most to him.

Todd's heart thumped against his chest as he cried silently, grimacing when his tears rolled onto his wounded cheeks.

 **'W- _Winnie_ …'**

 _"I'm okay! I'm tough like my Big Brother!"_

He was stronger than this.

 _"What if you don't land right!?"_

He was going to land his attacks right; he was going to make sure the two Monsters would pay for what they'd done.

 _"I wanted to make sure I could defend myself like you can, Big Brother!"_

He would defend himself against these Monsters; he wasn't going to let them kill him!

 _"I'm not tired!"_

He wasn't tired...

 _"I love you, Big Brother…"_

He loved Winnie too much to let these Monsters live!

Suddenly, unlike moments ago, a burst of energy filled him. He felt it wave through him constantly, almost like someone was running electricity through his body… without hurting him. And as he was being pulled onto the metal beams beside the Monster, steadied as he sat there, he hardened his gaze.

 **'I won't die!'**

Before the Monster could pull him towards the rough terrain, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her with all his might off the beams. Thrusting himself towards the land and snaking past the stunned overgrown lizard, Todd smirked delightfully from hearing the terrified scream of the Monster as her fellow Royal Member cried out her name. The first thing Todd did when he got away from the Monster was bolt straight towards his revolver, picking it up to feel the rush he felt from holding it so many times. Upon giving a huff, wheezing slightly, he felt the wind strike his face and the sting from that reminded him that he was still injured.

He had to heal himself before the Monster came back.

Digging into his pockets, he tore out the strange black muffin bread and took a large bite out of it. He chewed on it quickly, soon feeling the horrible pain from when he killed that annoying rodent fill his heart. He nearly choked on his swallow, but tried to ignore the intense pain and continued eating the tart yet sweet pastry. Even as he did so, he could feel his urgency ebb, feeling confident that there was nothing to worry about but to heal himself so he could end the remaining Royal Guard member's life faster.

Starting on the next one, he was aware of crying from nearby, taking another bite as he turned to the hunched over figure of Xander. Todd gulped down the food he'd broken down in his mouth, blinking as he watched the Monster. It was sort of pathetic how the Monster was acting like this, when it was expected that pulling up the enemy would only make it easy for them to kill you when you were that defenseless. He continued eating the delicious pastry. **'Pathetic… and here you were boasting about how you can deal with a mere Human.'** Todd gave a roll of his eyes. **'Ha. You really _are_ pathetic.'**

Todd threw away the muffin cups, wiggling his fingers with the hand that was now normal. With a grin, he brought his revolver up to point it at the Monster he had to kill next. **'It's your turn…'**

Feeling bold, he started to take steps towards the Monster, knowing that he could effortlessly make enough holes in the Monsters before it could kill him. It was that simple: adjust the chambers, rest your thumb on the trigger, and let pain bless the target. He felt like this Monster couldn't stand a chance against him now.

As soon as Todd was close enough to it, Todd smirked as the Monster slowly turned towards him. " _You_ …"

"Yes, it's me." Todd gave a humourless chuckle, shaking his head lightly as he asked, "Do you have any prayers, or do you Monsters not do that?"

"You killed her…" hissed the Monster, stiffly taking a step forward, clenching his claws hard as he snarled, "You _killed_ Carmel!"

"I know that," replied Todd coldly. "I let her know what it was like for otters to swim in lava… oh wait?" Todd paused before he closed his eyes. "Are Monsters even animals anymore?" The Monster growled at that. "You know what…? I _had_ a friend once, a friend who said that you're not related to animals… so I have to wonder if that's actually true."

"Do you realize what you've done!?" snapped the Monster with a snarl, trembling in anger as he jabbed his claw towards Todd. "You just killed her, and you don't seem to understand that!"

"I know what I just did." Todd hardened his dark blue eyes, frowning deeply as he growled, "Did you realize what you've done when _you_ killed my _sister_!?"

With a growl, the Monster's eyes flickered from Todd towards the blades that lay abandoned on the side nearby Todd. Todd knew what the Monster was about to do, so when the Monster sprinted towards the weapons, Todd right away kept his gun in range of the Monster, waiting until the Monster almost got to them before Todd yelled angrily, "I want you to _die_!"

Pressing down hard on the trigger twice, keeping a firm grip on his revolver the moment he felt its kickback, he watched the bullets turn into blinding yellow wisps as they struck the Monster in the heels of its feet. Right away the Monster fell down, tumbling ungracefully right onto its weapons and shrieking. As soon as the Monster reached for their ankle, Todd readied his next shot and aimed it successfully into the Monster's hand, then shot another just to make sure he wouldn't have a chance to use them against Todd. When the lizard jerked and screamed harshly, Todd shook from excitement as he pressed the trigger again, only to frown when he discovered he needed to reload his revolver.

Todd grimaced, soon reaching into his ammunition pouch and scooped out three more bullets, sliding them into each chamber before adjusting the revolver. He slowly approached the Monster, hearing it wail in agony, soon smiling as he thought coldly, **'You're** _ **so**_ **disgusting… I have to wonder how slimy snakes like you survived here for so long.'**

The moment the Monster lifted one of its blades feebly was when Todd shot a hole into its exposed throat. He heard the Monster gurgle in alarm, and he slowly grinned slightly then steadied his revolver before he shot another bullet at the Monster, right through the head. At once the Monster went limp, falling onto his other weapon, and exploded into powder.

 **'I… I did it.'**

Todd felt a giddy laughter bubble out of his throat as he fell to his knees, throwing his head up, as he felt triumphant. **'I killed them! I did it! I did it, Winnie! I avenged you, and got rid of those annoying Monsters for good! You can rest in peace now!'**

A knot of pain filled his chest, filled his heart again… but this time he didn't care about it. He did what he had to do, he couldn't be happier that he righted a wrong in the world. He killed the Monsters! He was victorious! He did it!

As he stayed there, laughing, he gave a broad grin as he looked to the smoky sky. **'I did it…'**

Pounding sounded from behind him, and Todd didn't even regard it from how joyful he was. There was no reason to, he killed the Monsters who killed his sister… that was enough for him. In fact, he didn't mind dying right now. Nothing mattered…

"Wh-What…?"

Closing his eyes, Todd enjoyed the sound of bubbling lava and whirs from the steam around him.

"T-Todd!?"

Upon hearing his name, Todd's grin weakened slightly. He blinked, furrowing his eyebrows as he heard the thumping steps come closer.

"What are you doing here!?"

The moment Todd got up, slipping his revolver into his holster slightly, he turned only to widen his eyes.

Standing there was Arturo, donning a Royal Guard uniform. But instead of the usual grey steel... it looked like he was wearing bronze armour.

Todd frowned slowly, breathing in unsteady breaths as he backed away, shaking his head. **'N-N-No… h-** _ **he's**_ **…'**

"What happened here?" asked Arturo cautiously before freezing, his sharp yellow eyes fixated on the heap of grey dust that covered the now ownerless blades. Todd watched as the Monster merely stood there, stiff as a plank, and Todd could hear the grizzly Monster scarcely breathe, "Wh-Who… did this?"

As soon as Arturo lifted his aghast gaze back to Todd, Todd couldn't help but give a smirk and snickered, "He had it coming for him…"

"Wh-What?" Arturo shook his head, and soon his gaze darkened as his lip curled into a frown. "Did you do this!?"

At once Todd frowned, stepping back again as he coldly replied, "What do you think? I did what had to be done, and I did what that was." Pausing for a second, Todd soon added in a punctured hiss, "But I guess you should've known that? Right, Arturo?"

He expected Arturo to charge at him, to roar in anger and grief, to try to kill him… and Todd right away brought out his gun only to notice that the Monster wasn't doing that at all. He blinked in confusion when Arturo lowered his gaze, and asked quietly, "What purpose did killing Monsters serve you, Todd?"

Right away, Todd trembled, tightening his grip on his gun as he growled, "What did it serve me? It was justice! I did what needed to be done-" A laugh tore out of Todd's throat, even as the Monster started to trudge towards him, "I did it! I killed them, Arturo! This was the one thing that needed to be done!" As Arturo was almost in front of him, Todd felt tears run down his face as he exclaimed happily, "You told me to fuel the fire within me, and I did! I killed the ones responsible for Winnie's death! And _boy_ , it felt so _good_!"

Arturo stopped in front of Todd, and Todd knew that it was the end for him. He closed his eyes, dropped his revolver, and drew in a deep breath. **'Do it… kill me.'**

The moment he was struck in the head, his mind went dead.

* * *

Slowly Todd's vision cleared, and he soon groaned upon blinking his eyes from the light that shone down on him. He frowned, wondering what happened when he sat up, finding that he wasn't alone.

Before Todd stood Arturo, his sharp yellow eyes flashing slightly for a brief second before he spoke quietly, "So, you are awake now."

Todd merely scowled at him, raising an eyebrow as he asked coldly, "Why didn't you kill me back there?"

"What do you mean?" asked Arturo with surprise.

"You know what I mean." As Todd squirmed out of the blankets he was tucked in with, he pointed sharply at Arturo as he growled, "You know that I killed your comrades…"

For a few seconds, Arturo's gaze slid away from Todd, and he heaved out a sigh. "Todd, I do not want to shed dust nor blood…"

"But you're a member of the Royal Guard!" spat Todd as he got off the bed, shaking as he glared at the grizzly Monster. "It's your job- to hunt Humans! Humans like _me_!" When the Monster refused to respond to that, Todd gave a growl, "So that's it then? You're going to tell your leader that you've captured me, then he'll come over and kill me!"

Slowly Arturo turned back, blinking his yellow gaze as he shook his head. "Todd… if I wanted to do that, then I would have already. I would not have brought you here the first time, out of harm's way; put you to bed, to make sure you had a good sleep when I found you grieving over your sister's death; and made sure you were not discovered the whole time that you were under my care before you left to kill my comrades." After shifting slightly, he added with a sad sigh, "I know, as a Human, you are in danger. And I want to make sure you're not going to be captured, and used by King Asgore to bring us to the Surface to have the New War. In all honesty, I do not want the New War to happen."

"How can I trust you?" asked Todd bitterly, shaking his head as he refused to look at the Royal Guard Member. "For all I know, you could be lying…"

"You have every right to distrust me." The dark brown furred Monster soon trudged towards Todd, stopping after a few steps as he murmured, "But, you have to understand that you may not find as many Monsters who do not want the New War to begin. I was a part of the Old War, and saw so many Monsters fall down… and turn to dust." His voice suddenly took on a wretched tone. "I do not want to see that happen _ever_ _again_."

Todd slowly blinked, pondering the words that Arturo said. As much as Todd wanted to believe the Monster… he couldn't trust him, not after what happened to his friends and his sister… especially now that Todd knew that Arturo was a Royal Guard member. He remembered how each of them died, their last words, the very injuries that took their lives…

How could he trust any Monster after what happened?

Arturo shook his head. "I do not want to kill you."

That snapped Todd out of his memories, making him whip his head up to glare at the Monster. "Then why are you a part of the Royal Guard!? We're supposed to be enemies, so why- _why_ are you a Royal Guard member!?" snapped Todd as he breathed in and out heavily, clenching his fists as he searched the Monster's face for disgust or hatred… Instead, he found the Monster looked pained.

"...I am bound by my blood." The Monster slowly closed his eyes as he lowered his head, resting his paw on his crimson tunic that he gripped hard. Todd blinked in surprise, not expecting that. "My species of Monsterkind... were a proud race, now dwindled to me. Our duty was to serve the Royal Family… and that we did. To protect them." After a few seconds of silence, the Monster gave a shudder of a breath. "But nowadays… that has broken, yet my ancestral pledge to the Royal Family has not."

"What do you mean?" asked Todd as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"I do not want to be a part of the Royal Guard, I merely want the nightmare to end," replied Arturo sadly as he slowly released his tunic and met Todd's gaze. "I do not want the New War, the Old War showed us we never had a chance against the Humans. If we were to have the New War, we would repeat the torment of the past." He shook his head lightly. "You will never understand that, Todd, but know this: I do not want to kill you."

Todd merely hardened his gaze.

It was few seconds later that Arturo blinked, biting his lip before he asked slowly, "D-Did you… Were you the one…?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Todd as he scowled at the Monster.

"Recently… Snowdin's Canine Unit was wiped out…"

At once Todd raised an eyebrow, widening his eyes in surprise. "They were?"

"Yes… all except for one." Arturo shifted before he inhaled deeply. "A Monster by the name of Rover."

For a few seconds, Todd blinked, wondering how that happened. The last time he saw the dog Monster was before Archie…

The memory of Archie lying on the ground, bleeding out from being impaled in the chest, ran through his mind.

He grimaced. "Why does that matter? I didn't do it."

Arturo slowly twitched his bushy tail, soon responding in a level tone, "Today, I was requested by the Captain to escort him to have an audience with the said Monster, to talk about what had happened. All we got was that Rover did not know where they went, but we could tell from his descriptions that they were slain. Clearly, this task was undertaken by a Human."

"And why don't you think a Monster did it?" asked Todd bitterly with a huff.

"No Monster would wish to harm another, never as Humans have."

"Humans attacked out of anger to protect their family," said Todd with a shake of his head. "They would never just slaughter Monsters."

At once Arturo's eyes flashed. "You know of how Humans done that in the past?"

"I was told that a Monster child killed a Human child, then their parents attacked the family of Monsters out of grief," replied the dark brown haired boy with a huff, crossing his arms. "Then the war that you had started."

Arturo shook his head. "That was a mere part of it." Upon shaking, the Monster's gaze grew sharp. "Did you not hear of how Humans feared for their lives? Not wanting to have their SOULs absorbed by Monsters so they attacked us out of cowardice?" Just before Todd could give his opinion on the matter, Arturo growled bitterly, "They killed thousands of Monsters- never holding back- and we had to surrender to protect ourselves! We were trapped underground by them, by their terrible magic!"

Todd faintly remembered that Toriel mentioned something about magic.

"We never had a chance to kill them, we were too weak…" Slowly Arturo's voice softened into sadness, the anger he held seemed to perish. After a moment or two of shifting on the spot awkwardly, Arturo sighed, "Monsterkind remembers Humans out of bitterness, but they need to remember that there were days that were of golden happiness… and of peace. I, too, want the days of peace and happiness to come back, and I wish I could help King Asgore remember that as well…" His gaze drifted down. "But, I have no such luck."

 **'What do you mean by that?'** thought Todd warily as he saw that Arturo started to breathe in and out, sluggishly taking off his bronze helmet and letting it clatter to the ground. **'You… why do you care about the king? Why should you care about that Monster who wants to kill us Humans when you don't want to!?'**

"I believe that if we can offer a hand with no thorns attached… we can arrive at peace." After a few seconds, Arturo soon stepped closer to Todd. "I apologize for going off topic."

"It's…" Todd turned his gaze away. "It's alright." His dark blue eyes stared off at the bronze helmet that lay discarded on the ground. Unlike the other Royal Guard members who wore silver helmets, the helmet looked somewhat fancier… If Arturo was a type of Monster who had to help protect the Royal Family… then it made sense that their armour was slightly different. After a few more seconds of studying the helmet, Todd looked back at the grizzly wolf Monster "But what were you trying to talk about before?"

"Ah yes, about Rover…" As Arturo trudged over to a bed, he took a seat before he spoke, "The Monster asked if we saw a Human with a strange hat around. Do you know that Human?"

The boy could only blink, soon replying with a shrug, "I lost that hat."

"So, you are that Human, then?" Arturo smiled at that, soon relaxing with a sigh. "I was afraid that we had to tell him that the Human was dead."

"Why would that matter?" asked Todd in confusion.

"Because Rover wanted to meet up with you."

"Why would he want that?" asked Todd with a tilt of his head.

Arturo shook his head gently. "I do not know, Todd. All I know is that he wanted to meet up with you nearby the bridge back to Waterfall, and that he would not leave until you came to see him." With a pat on Todd's shoulder, in which Todd scowled at him for doing, Arturo put in, "It may not be my decision… but I believe it would do you no good to disregard his invitation."

Todd silently turned his head away, frowning as he stared at nothing particular. To him, it was a waste of time… there was nothing useful or meaningful that could come from seeing the Monster again. And Todd didn't care about seeing that Monster, especially when the Monster…

 **'Wait...?'**

"I'll go," said Todd with a smile. "I think it might be good to see someone familiar."

Arturo smiled at that. "Very well." As an uneasy frown formed on Arturo's lips, and the Monster slowly withdrew his paw then got up. Todd watched as the Monster lumbered away, soon getting up and was about to leave as well when he heard the Monster return. Upon turning to him, Todd widened his eyes slightly when the Monster offered Todd's revolver and ammunition pouch. "I apologize, Todd. I could not be certain if you were going to attack me or not when you woke up, knowing now that I am a member of the Royal Guard…"

For a while Todd stared at the Monster warily, blinking as he frowned. **'If... If the Monster wanted to kill me, he would have done that if he had my stuff...'** Breathing in softly, his dark blue eyes widened. **'I guess he never did want to kill me.'** Todd slightly smiled for a trice. **'I guess I was wrong to assume the worst.'** Although, Todd had to say that it was suspicious how Arturo took his revolver and ammunition away... but he shrugged off the feeling, simply discarding that for the fact that the Monster was worried that Todd might've wanted to kill him. **  
**

"I understand, don't worry about it." The dark brown haired boy reached for his belongings, tying on his pouch to his holster and slipping his revolver back in. As the familiar wave of power struck through him, he grinned as he nodded. "I'll be sure to be careful."

The dark brown bear gave a nod back, and turned around to lumber away to another location in the room. By the time the Monster disappeared through a faraway hallway, Todd turned and went off through the one to leave.

* * *

It didn't take Todd long until he noticed the Great Pyrenees Monster who stood beside the water cooler, who was wagging his tail as he licked the inside of the cup he held, soon panting as he let his tongue loll from his mouth. Todd, at first, didn't know what to say or what to do, but the moment the hyperactive dog's eyes turned to him, he didn't have time to choose that.

"Oh my gosh~ it's you!" barked Rover happily as his tail wagged madly, instantly running up to give Todd a hug. Instead of freaking out about it, Todd let the dog Monster hold him, closing his eyes as memories of Winnie's hugs made it somewhat bearable to get through. As soon as Todd was put down, the dog Monster yapped, "I thought you r-were dead, and I'm so glad you r-weren't-"

"It's good to see you," said Todd as warm as he could, except his words seemed a bit more flat than he wanted to express. The moment he saw Rover's eyes light up from that, Todd looked to the ground. "So… did you need something?"

"Oh!" For a few seconds Rover raised his paw up, gaping his mouth open only to hold it for a minute or two. He blinked in confusion, soon flattening his ears as he whimpered, "I… I r-wanted to be r-with a friend! I-I haven't seen you since…"

Todd sighed at that sadly. "Yeah… I get what you mean."

 **'Especially when you caused my friends to die…'**

"Oh my gosh~ do you r-want to roll around and-"

"It's a little too dangerous to do that here, Rover," said Todd with a frown. **'Stupid mutt…'**

Rover's face soon fell, looking around as he let out a whimper, "Oh… " His eyes soon glowed as he barked happily, "That's okay! R-We can do that in Snowdin! The snow is _so_ fluffy~ and it's the best for rolling around on~!"

"That sounds nice…" Todd smiled at that.

"R-Wait?" Rover's paw waved over Todd's head as he tilted his head to one side. "R-Where's your hat!?"

Todd looked away, hearing Winnie's voice echo the same question. "I lost it, and couldn't find it."

"Rover can help you find it!" yelped Rover with a beam, nodding his head as he panted more. "I have a great nose and two…" His ears flattened slightly before they perked up. "Two friends can find it better together!" His tail wagged as he chirped, "Right!?"

When Rover said 'friends' Todd's expression screwed up, and he looked at the ground painfully. "I guess so…"

 **'If we _were_ friends...'**

"R-Where did you last see it?" Rover at once turned his back to Todd, whipping his head back and forth as he rested his paw on his forehead. "I'm great at finding things!"

As Rover continued to bark pathetically, Todd gritted his teeth. **'If you hadn't told them… my sister and friends would still be alive!'** His eyes narrowed as he shook. **'It's disgusting how you can't tell that you've hurt me more than you can ever hope, Rover.'**

"R-Well?" The white-furred dog Monster turned to him, panting as he asked, "Do you know r-where you lost it?"

"I think it's somewhere close by." Todd pointed across the bridge. "I think that way."

"Alright!" Rover nodded before turning back, starting to walk with a bounce in his steps across the bridge. "Let's go!"

Slowly Todd followed after him, keeping his gaze on the upbeat Monster. After a few steps, Todd slid out his revolver. **'You disgusting mutt… how about we play catch instead?'** As the Monster continued to babble annoyingly, Todd raised his revolver towards Rover. **'With a bullet in your head!'**

Todd instantly fired his revolver, jerking backwards as he heard the boom ring through the air clearly. Rover fell down at once onto the bridge with a pained yelp, and within seconds Rover whimpered in a low tone before his body collapsed into grey dust. Todd smirked as he felt a breeze hit him, which soon pushed the dust off the bridge to sail into the boiling lava below.

 **'Heh… down doggie.'** With a twirl of his revolver, Todd put it back in his holster and felt a twinge of pain through his chest. He turned and gave a low laugh as he walked back to the Lab. **'For** _ **good**_ **.'**

* * *

"So… how did your talk go with Rover?" asked Arturo calmly.

Todd ignored the Monster at first, eating the Hotland Gumbo (that Arturo had given to him earlier) as he rolled the question through his mind. But after a while, Todd felt that Arturo would sooner or later find out, so he smiled after gulping down the spoonful of the grey stew.

"I killed him."

Arturo at once stiffened, slowly turning around to give Todd an unreadable expression as he spoke, "I-I see…"

"I mean, it was easy," said Todd nonchalantly after gulping down another mouthful, stabbing his fork into it before he went on, "The Monster thought I was his friend or something… when we weren't."

"Why would you do that?" asked Arturo finally after a minute of giving Todd a weird look.

"If it weren't for him, my _actual_ friends and my sister would still be alive," growled Todd and shoved more food into his mouth, angrily breaking it down before swallowing. He pointed his fork at Arturo, causing the Monster to flinch, and put in bitterly, "I wish we could have killed him when we met him. If we did, maybe he wouldn't have run off to whine to the Canine Unit that we were there- then we would practically be out of here by now." After shoving his fork back into the stew, Todd gave a sigh, "All six of us…"

As Todd began stirring through the lumpy slop, idly scooping up and plopping the food back into the container, Arturo gave a sigh then spoke, "As pleasant as that may sound, there was no way you could have gotten out of here without alerting the wrong Monsters."

Todd at once snapped his hardened gaze to the Monster. "What are you talking about?"

Briefly, the Monster sighed again, then shook his head. "You do not know how to get out… from what you have said."

"And are you going to tell me then, Arturo?" asked Todd rudely with a snort. "You seem to know that."

"Yes, I do know that."

"Then how?" Todd let his fork drop in the half-eaten food, soon shifting so he could completely face the large Monster. "Will you tell me that?"

The Monster merely stared at him, his yellow gaze pained as he inhaled deeply. He turned his head, taking some steps away before he spoke, "I will." When Todd blinked, the Monster soon added sadly, "However, there are things I should have told you about sooner. I shall tell you them, in hopes that you will understand, then you will know why it will be hard for you to leave the Underground." Upon turning his head slightly, he asked, "Will you let me do so?"

Blinking again, Todd scowled at the Monster until he slowly let his lips slip into a flat line. He gave a small nod, soon setting down the stew to the side to listen to the Monster.

When Arturo understood he was free to speak, he began, "Long ago… when Monsterkind had recovered from the blow Humankind had dealt to us, a Human child fell down. It had been years ago, when I still served the Royal Family as their sole bodyguard. By then, King Asgore had sought to put aside what had happened in the past, wanting to look to the future. So when the Prince found the Human, King Asgore took in that child, and adopted them as his own-"

"Them?" echoed Todd with a frown. "Was it a boy or girl?"

"Unfortunately, it pains me to say that I cannot tell you," said Arturo with a shake of his head. "The Human only told the Royal Family what gender they were, and I am sworn to secrecy for what gender that was."

"Why's that?" asked Todd with a frown.

"I want to uphold the promise I gave to never reveal it, Todd."

Todd gave a nod to that.

"A few years or so later, the child died…" explained Arturo sadly, closing his eyes as he breathed in quietly. "And our prince, Asriel, took them to the Surface to lay them to rest where the Golden Flowers grew in the Surface." He frowned then. "But he was attacked by Humans, and died upon his return. The Underground was upset by the tragedy… but not as much as the King and Queen.

"When I tried speaking to King Asgore about what he was to do, he told me through utter rage that he had to kill the Humans." Arturo shook his head at that, clenching his paw that was pressed to his side nearby the wall. "I tried to reason with him, but to no avail did I sway him away from the New War. He told me how we had to collect enough SOULs to break the Barrier… just so he could slaughter all of Humankind in the world. But I know that will only kill him, as well as Monsterkind if he follows through."

Suddenly Arturo shook his head, shaking slightly as his gaze turned away from Todd. "I cannot stand the thought… of all the dust that will pile upon the Surface. No Monster can stand up to the Humans, no Monster can survive the New War…" Without warning, a bang sounded through the room, and Todd flinched upon seeing Arturo bash his fist against the wall. "King Asgore will kill us all!" he snarled bitterly. "I cannot allow for that to happen!"

"Only a few Humans know about Monsters," said Todd as he frowned, shaking as he went on, "I'm sure the other ones won't hurt you!"

"But as far as we know, we may be killed on sight," responded Arturo sorrowfully in defeat. "For all we know, we may be accepted… only to be betrayed by Humankind…" With a shuddery inhale, Arturo murmured, "I know for one thing that we are marching towards our deaths."

It was quiet between the two of them after a while, that was until Arturo sighed before speaking solemnly, "King Asgore just needs seven Human SOULs… seven Human SOULs in order to break the Barrier. And once he does, Humankind will slay us. I want that to be avoided at all costs… and it brings me to an option that I venture to say is against my morals…"

"What is it?" asked Todd curiously.

"Killing King Asgore…"

At once Todd widened his eyes. "You want to kill the Monster who you are loyal to?"

"I do not want to kill King Asgore, I merely hope there is a way around that," said Arturo grimly. "The Queen is no longer here, so there is no one else who could stop him but me. But I am not strong enough to defeat him… nor is it favorable to me if Monsterkind finds out about me murdering the King."

"Then what will you do?" asked Todd coldly, sniffing a second later. "Let him die of old age?"

"He cannot die of that, only of swift death." Arturo slowly turned back to Todd, frowning as he gave a heavy sigh. "I only wish that I can show Monsterkind a better way than to kill Humankind…"

"And how would you stop him if you can't kill him?" The dark brown haired boy raised an eyebrow at the Monster.

"Stop him from obtaining what he wants: The Human SOULs." Slowly Arturo walked towards Todd, soon stopping to sit on the bed beside Todd's as he spoke grimly, "Five of the Human SOULs have already been harvested… by the Captain of the Royal Guard."

Todd's blood ran cold at once, and he stared at the Monster in horror. **'No…'**

"I asked the Captain about them when I had seen him last, and I have heard that he is taking them directly to King Asgore at this very moment," explained Arturo as he put his paws together, soon squeezing them slightly. "I know the castle well… Every hall, every room, every inch that it stretches…" His eyes turned to Todd and locked with his dark blue. "It may be hard, but we can get them back."

"We?" repeated Todd warily.

"I mean, I can help you get them back," clarified Arturo quickly as his gaze sharpened. "If you could get past the Barrier, with the Hum- your sister's and friends' SOULs… you would greatly inhibit King Asgore's plan for the New War. You could escape the Underground before you are killed, and you can find a way to stop Humans from coming to the Underground. Then no Monster, or Human, would have to bare arms against each other ever again."

Todd blinked, pondering about the plan as he stared at the Monster. It didn't take long until nodded at that as he felt a swell of anger rise in him. "It will be better that way," said Todd dryly. "I've had enough of Monsters who want to kill me…"

"There is only one problem." As Arturo frowned, he closed his eyes. "The Barrier will not allow for entities pass through it… unless a Monster SOUL and Human SOUL go together."

"So what you're saying is…" Todd grimaced. "I can't leave."

"No, you are perfectly capable of leaving, Todd," said Arturo as his gaze turned away. "You only need to have a Monster SOUL strong enough to help you pass through."

"And what does that mean?" asked Todd in annoyance. "What should I do?"

"You need to take Asgore's SOUL."

At once, Todd widened his eyes. "You mean… k-kill Asgore?"

"As much as I do not like it… King Asgore needs to be taken down if the New War will be prevented, and for you to go home," explained Arturo seriously, not looking at Todd as he went on, "I can take care of the Underground in his absence. After all… Asgore would trust me to take care of it."

"Is that because you were his bodyguard?" asked Todd curiously.

"It is because…" For a few seconds, Arturo went silent. His gaze stayed away from Todd, lingering towards the other side of the room before he shook his head. "I rather not say."

Todd grimaced at that. He would have liked to hear what Arturo meant by that, but he shrugged and nodded. "So… I have to kill Asgore?"

"I did not say you should, only that his SOUL would give you what you need to escape from the Underground." As soon as Arturo looked back at Todd, his yellow eyes weary, he frowned. "Unless… you did not want to leave."

Right away, Todd lowered his gaze. He felt as though he should be immediately agreeing with the Monster… but at the same time, he didn't feel like it mattered at the moment. If he did leave the Underground, he wouldn't have his sister and friends with him. He would never get them back... only because that Monster, King Asgore, took them away from him. If the Monster hadn't made the Royal Guard, Winnie, Archie, Angie, Marley, and Edgar would still be alive. Therefore… Todd knew what he had to do.

He clenched his fists; breathing heavily as he growled bitterly, "There's no way I'm going to let that Monster live after what he's done to my sister and friends…" He slowly met the Monster's gaze again. "I need to do this, Arturo… can you help me?"

It was a minute or two later when the Monster gave a curt nod. "I would gladly aid you the best I can, only if I remain not linked to the deed, Todd."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Todd with a frown.

"I will help you get into the Castle, into New Home, and help you take down Asgore… as long as I remain unlinked to the deed," explained Arturo evenly as he inhaled slowly, clenching his paw. "If Monsterkind knows that I helped you kill King Asgore, it will not bring good light to relinquishing the New War. So, I will strike King Asgore at the right time, giving you the opening to attack and take his SOUL."

"You mean to say, I'll hold onto it?"

"No." Arturo's eyes sharpened. "When a Human takes a Monster SOUL, they absorb it. It feeds into them, granting them might… granting them the ability to make their SOULs stronger."

"Why?" asked Todd with a frown.

"From the reports of the Royal Scientist, that I have been tasked to studying to find clues of his whereabouts, I have learnt much about SOULs." Arturo grimaced slightly, furrowing his eyebrows as he shook his head. "Monster SOULs have magic properties… while Humans have different properties that make them stronger because of their organic matter. Their organic matter thrives on energy, while Monster matter thrives on magic. By taking the energy of the SOULs of Monsters, from what he has come to theorize…" He narrowed his eyes. "If a Human takes enough energy from enough Monsters, their SOUL could equal another Human SOUL, making their might the might of two Humans instead of one, allowing them to take down Monsters easily… As well, this could very well allow them to become strong enough to surpass the Barrier without having to sacrifice innocent SOULs…"

"That… That would allow me to get past the Barrier easily," said Todd in astonishment.

"Indeed." The dark brown-furred Monster for a while stared at him with an unreadable expression before he turned his gaze away. "That is why I believe, if you take Asgore's SOUL… your SOUL would be strong enough to help you pass through the Barrier without you dying from the pressure it exerts, Todd. You will need to take down Asgore… if you want to get back home."

"Couldn't I just kill some more Monsters?" asked Todd suddenly. "I mean, I still want to kill Asgore… but wouldn't-"

"Killing the innocents will not justify the blood spilled from his vengeful streak, Todd," said Arturo curtly as he narrowed his yellow eyes. "I do not want any of Monsterkind to be killed when the source of the hatred comes from our King. Once the King is gone, Monsterkind will have no one but a stronger Boss Monster to lead them, one that will give them what they need." As he pressed his paw to his chest, Arturo spoke softly, "And I wish it to be me." His voice became stronger and passionate as he went on, "I can show them mercy, rather than death. You, and the rest of Humankind, would never have to worry about Monsterkind _ever_ again. I will keep the Monsters down here, but give them new hope for our home that we are not prisoners, but survivors… survivors that can live without yearning for what we have lost, and live for what we _do_ hold."

Getting up, Arturo turned to Todd with a smile. "And I would wish you would aid me in guiding the Underground to a better future, and in return I will help you and your sister and friends return to the Surface." He slowly extended his paw out, retracting his claws slightly as he met Todd's dark blue gaze. "Do these conditions please you, Todd?"

The dark brown haired boy for a while stared at the hand, blinking slowly as he pondered the deal. In both worlds, this would suit them best. No one would ever fall down again, no one would ever have to encounter each another again, no one would have to draw blood or dust again…

And _no one_ would have to die again.

This would grant everyone peace, and history would never repeat ever again.

There was nothing more ideal than this arrangement.

As long as King Asgore was gone, there would be no more conflict with Humanity and Monsters again.

Todd knew, in all his heart, his sister would want this. She wouldn't want him to kill innocent Monsters… she never wanted to harm anyone. If she was here right now, she would be happy to hear of this...

Slowly Todd got up, and placed his calloused hand into Arturo's paw. "I will."

Arturo's smile on his broad face was bright, from what Todd could tell, so Todd supposed he made the Monster very happy.

"Very well, we shall recover our energy and strength for the time being," said Arturo proudly, shaking Todd's hand. "And tomorrow… we shall meet King Asgore in the depths of the Castle: New Home."

 **'I can't wait to do that…'** Todd made himself smile back, and he soon let go of Arturo's hand and went to cover and place his half-eaten Hotland Gumbo on another bed beside his. **'Put a bullet into the Monster's skull… making him** _ **taste**_ **his own death!'** As he slid into his bed, he chuckled as he pulled the covers over himself. **'I will put an end to everything, and leave this damn place behind with everyone… just like we were** _ **supposed**_ **to!'**

He closed his eyes. **'** _ **Together**_ **.'** Slowly smirking as his exhaustion caught up with him, he felt nothing as he slipped into sleep.

Todd had no nightmares… neither did he dream.

* * *

 **To be continued… hope you enjoyed the chapter! =3**

 **…**

 **EeveeGen9988: Heh, it's here... Sadly, the next Part will be the end ...or the beginning? *shrugs* Anyway, I hope you like what I got cooked up for Part 5! Which may come in the next two or three weeks!**

 **Also, I will accept final chapter notes extras. For that, if you want, you can request information about the story and its characters. Like, for example, stuff about Edgar... or concepts that I chose to do for the story... etc! Why I'm doing this... it's because I like talking to people and answering their questions~ =3**

 **As well, I put up a poll on my profile for the story, so check it out if you feel like it! =D**

 **See you later, people!**

 ***goes to try to gather the rest of the confetti she shot in Part 1***

 **…**

 **~ Item Check ~**

 **\- Fizzle Fruit: a pear-like fruit that looks like a painted rock… but its not as hard to eat. Heals 7 HP.**

 **\- Paste Shake: a milkshake that is trending in Hotland right now… container says to shake well or you won't feel well. Heals 10 HP.**

 **\- Hotland Gumbo: a strange gumbo that looks like vomit chow… but it seems to be healthy for you for something so hideous. Heals 13 HP.**

 **Half-Eaten Hotland Gumbo: it may look like vomit chow... but it was not, surprisingly enough. Heals 6 HP.**

 **\- Bruffin (2): a strange muffin bread hybrid… despite its charred appearance its relatively moist. Heals 5 HP.**

 **\- Bullet Pouch: The bullets that their father makes for Todd's gun, using them wisely would be best.**

 **Ammunition Pouch (61): Holds the bullets that Todd wants to use to make Monsters die… it doesn't matter how many he uses.  
**

 **…**

 **~ Fun facts about the chapter's development! ~  
**

 **\- Name of Part 4 was supposed to be ' _The Molten Wastelands_ ', but I thought it was a bit too much of a mouthful so I went with ' _The Molten Wastes_ '.**

 **\- Todd initially shot 15 bullets in the chapter... funny enough... That is, until I realized one part of a scene didn't make sense if Todd shot his gun at the time (when Todd initially found Xander and Carmel before their fight). Todd originally was going to fire a shot at her, but then later on in the battle sequence the two Monsters freaked out about the attack Todd used on them because they don't know what that type of attack was, and that wouldn't make sense then if Todd tried to shoot her earlier. So therefore, I had to erase the part where Todd tried to shoot Carmel when she was going to check out the noise she heard, and she had to dodge the shot that Todd fired at her. So 14 bullets were shot in this chapter instead of 15... Why am I talking about this... I dunno but I find it interesting how this had to be changed. Heh... logic.  
**

 **\- It took a while to decide upon Carmel and Xander... I think the two of them would have been males, though. As well, they would have been really flat characters who just want to kill Todd and Winnie without any traits that made them distinct. Good thing I came up with something different! =D  
**

 **\- It was really, really hard to write Winnie's death scene and the scenes that led up to it... *weeps* I didn't want to do it, but from the direction the story was going... it had to happen! Forgive me readers! DX**

 **\- Arturo was a character that was planned from the start, and I had different ideas for how I wanted to use him in the story... I had to tweak what was going to happen with him and Todd a lot... heh. In fact, Arturo originally was going to tell Todd right away he was a Royal Guard member, but then that wouldn't be fun to just do that in the chapter, so I went with him hiding it from Todd until Todd saw Arturo in his armour.  
**

 **\- Arturo's initial name was going to be Grimmsley... but then I chose Arturo because I liked it better and Grimmsley didn't fit his personality at all.  
**

 **\- Todd originally had to try to track down Carmel and Xander without any knowledge of where they were, but I felt as though Todd wouldn't have found them if he did that so I went with the video feed route! As well, Arturo initially was going to hint at how Carmel and Xander would be walking around Hotland, which would prompt Todd into the idea of searching for them to kill them. =3**

 **\- The Monster that Todd was chasing for the remote on the conveyor belts just sort of happened, and was a random strike of inspiration on my part. But it was sure fun to write! =D**

 **\- The Rover death scene was going to be longer, with Rover rambling more of how sad he was about the Canine Unit being killed. So eventually, he would get so absorbed in his talking that he wouldn't have noticed Todd pulling out his revolver to kill him, and Rover would have asked Todd why Todd hurt him, but Todd would only yell at Rover in such loath about how it was Rover's fault that Todd's friends and sister got killed until Rover died. Isn't that dark? So I rather have it that Rover died while in a happy mood (alarmed slightly, but killed swiftly before his good mood perished as well) rather than a fearful, miserable, and baffled mood. I mean, c'mon, Rover doesn't deserve that, people! *EeveeGen9988 used MERCY on Rover... slightly*  
**

 **\- Rover changed a lot from what I had planned for him. He was supposed to be originally a Saint Bernard who was very formal and didn't roll around to just play around, but to literally attack and kill the six children. When defeated with MERCY, he was going to say that he was impressed with them, and the children would have earned his respect rather than his friendship. But then again, Rufus sort of became something along the line of that personality-wise, so I had to change Rover a lot until he became the ball of energy he is today.**

 **\- There was supposed to be two more scenes, but they were cut out because I felt as though I went to a good spot to end the chapter... So... the unused scenes will be a part of Part 5. =3**

 **\- This was the hardest chapter to write. =(**


	5. The Castle:

**The Fallen:**

 **I do not own Undertale, Toby Fox does!**

 **This story is written for [Shibuya Operation Story Storm].**

 **…**

 **Part 5: The Castle:**

* * *

Todd adjusted his holster the best he could, making sure it was secure between the parts of armour he was given. As much as he hated the smell it had, he knew he had to bear with it the best he could.

Just as he was slowly starting to slip on the helmet, his eyes sliding to the mirror briefly to make sure he was putting it on right, he froze.

For a few seconds, he stared at his reflection, and wondered if he was actually looking at himself.

His hair looked far scruffier and oilier than it used to be, his face was dirty, and his dark blue eyes dully stared back at him... although Todd guessed it was because of how the light shone from behind him. Right now, Todd could hardly imagine how he let himself become like this, knowing that he would keep himself well-groomed at all times (the best he could manage, that is)… But he shrugged off the odd feeling about it, and slipped his helmet over his head.

Todd told himself he couldn't have prevented himself from looking at this, instead focusing on the fact that he had to meet up with Arturo shortly.

Slipping his gun back in, he quickly pulled on the gloves while trying not to gag on the stench the armour gave off as he turned to the direction he came from. Of course, he told himself that the smell wouldn't be as bad as the payoff he would have from using it. So he tried to calm his breathing as he reentered the room with the sea of beds.

It didn't take long for him to spot his Monster companion, and when Todd did he called out as he jogged over, "I'm ready!" Suddenly Arturo turned, stiff for a moment before he slowly started to pull something that he was holding towards his back. But Todd got to the Monster before the Monster put it away and asked, "Hey, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Arturo slowly brought back the long handle he held, revealing a weapon with a strangely curved blade attached to the end. "Have you not seen a swing blade before, Todd?"

"No." Todd shook his head. He noticed that there was a brand on the double-edged blade that seemed to resemble the one on the tunic Arturo always wore. "Never."

"Ah, I guess Humankind has relinquished usage of some weapons then," said Arturo with a nod, soon grimacing. "But some are still around…"

"Like my revolver…" said Todd grimly, bringing it out for the Monster. "It has a kickback, and you need to aim it accurately at targets if you want to land heavy damage."

"I see." With another nod, Arturo turned around. "Let us be off then."

As Todd started to follow Arturo through the hallway, he kept his pace up with the Monster. "So, the plan is to sneak past the Monsters… right?"

"Yes, you will be posing as a recruit for the Royal Guard." Arturo didn't falter in his lumber, his paws thudded in ease. "And I will recommend you must not speak, for I have no clue which Monsters you have spoken to, nor do I know whether or not you have been seen by them. So as long as the Monsters see you as one of them, we should be arriving in New Home within short time."

Todd gave a nod at that.

As Todd let the bear wolf hybrid take the lead, he asked quietly, "But won't they find that suspicious?"

"No, before you had awakened, I had come up with a reason for why you cannot speak," explained Arturo as they continued down the hallway. "Do not worry, Todd, my fellow Monsters will not suspect anything. I can assure you of that."

Despite how Todd doubted that, he shrugged and continued to walk after the large Monster. He knew that Arturo would take care of things, but he couldn't help but think Arturo would have a hard time convincing the Captain of the Royal Guard of that than the other Monsters.

They were about to enter the elevator to go back upstairs when Todd noticed how a pouch strung on Arturo's side was starting to become undone, and quickly spoke up, "Arturo, your pouch is-"

Abruptly, Arturo brought his paws over to it, gently tugging at the strings and knotting them. Slowly giving a smile to Todd, the Monster sighed. "Thank you, Todd. I would not know what I would have done if you had not spoken just now."

Todd frowned at that. "But what's so special about that pouch?"

For a long time, Arturo did not speak. His breathing accelerated, soon becoming relaxed when he replied quietly, "It holds my spouse's dust..."

"O-Oh..." Todd looked away, knitting his eyebrows together. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"It is fine, Todd," said Arturo sadly, closing his eyes as he murmured, "She died when her health was poor, long before the Old War came into being. We could not prevent her passing, but I know that it was for the best that her time was then." He lumbered into the elevator, swerving back as he waited for Todd to join him. "I preferred she would never know what horrors the Old War befell on us Monsters."

Todd blinked, stepping into the compartment and lowered his head. "I'm sure a lot of Monsters would have wanted that."

"...Yes, I do believe that they would have favoured that." Arturo hesitated a moment before pushing a button, exhaling as the rickety doors pulled shut. "To them, that would have been the better option."

As the elevator hummed as it ascended, Todd closed his eyes. **'It would have been better if it never happened.'**

* * *

After taking the closest outside elevator (that was fixed easily by Arturo because of his apparent knowledge for them from the Royal Scientist's blueprints), they got to the level they had to be. And soon, they headed up a flight of stairs without any trouble from the Royal Guards who were stationed at the base of them.

They got to a monochrome coloured building that seemed to resemble a small cottage, only having a familiar purple arch that off-put the whole design of the building, which appeared to be the entrance to it. The only thing Todd could do was stare at it in disbelief as he wondered why they came over to a Monster's house rather than the place they were meant to be at, and he was about to voice his thoughts when he sharply reminded himself to not talk. So this left him to studying the strange building as Arturo took to conversing with two more Royal Guards, who were stationed on each side of the archway. It wasn't until he finally paid attention to their conversation after a few minutes that Todd soon discovered it wasn't a house.

It was the entrance to the Castle.

Todd found it strange that this was the place they had to enter, seeing how it didn't appear to look like it was an entrance to a castle... However, his mind was changed when he noticed that it led up to a grander building in the far off distance but was unable to glimpse any its finer details. He decided that the Monsters were odder (than they already were) in thinking that this is what an entrance to a castle should be like.

Slowly he himself tuned back into the discussion again, finding that Arturo seemed to be finished with chatting with the Royal Guards and was staring at Todd.

"Come along, Emmanuel," said Arturo calmly, turning and lumbering through the archway that had the same symbol that Todd had seen throughout the Underground. "We must not keep him waiting."

For a few seconds, Todd blinked. **'Emmanuel?'** He looked around, gazing at the two Royal Guard members who were watching him. **'Wait… why does Arturo want Emmanuel to come with us? I thought we were going to sneak in-'**

"Emmanuel?" Todd started at the sound of Arturo's voice, whipping his head at the Monster who gazed at him patiently. "Is something wrong?"

Todd soon realized what was going on, blinking and nodding while feeling dazed by the information. **'Oh… he means me.'**

As he began to follow after Arturo, Todd heard a Monster from behind him whisper, "Wow… that kid must be scatterbrained."

"Yeah, no kidding, George!" the other Monster replied. "I bet that Human could slice open his neck without him knowing."

"Eh, that sounds about right, Macy."

Todd felt slightly nervous from hearing those comments, hoping the other Monsters didn't pick up on his odd behavior like those two. So he quickened his pace as he went through the purple archway, not wanting to get separated from Arturo.

From all that Todd saw, the inside of the Castle was grey, highlighted in various shades of monochrome from all over the room. It felt like the place lacked life in comparison to the other parts of the Underground, if it hadn't been for the Monsters that dotted around the area. ...Yet unlike the other inhabitants of the Underground, these ones seemed more subdued. They all spoke in quiet voices, huddled together in groups of different types of Monsters. The only sound other than their mumbling was the steps Todd and Arturo took, and the Monsters soon quieted while watching Arturo lumber up to a large statue. Todd hesitated for a few seconds before joining the Monster, not wanting to look out of place when there were so many eyes on them now.

Arturo knelt down before the expressionless stone statue, pulling off his helmet and placed it down gently, soon clasping his paws together as he bowed his head. Todd stood there, wondering what Arturo was doing when he noticed a plaque at the statue's feet.

 **\- Asriel Dreemurr -  
May the last ray of hope shine undying... and never fade from the night.**

It would seem as though Arturo was paying his respects...

As much as Todd wanted to leave at that very moment, he did the same thing, hoping the Monsters didn't suspect his delayed actions to be suspicious.

He noticed how the statue looked like it was ready to fall apart, judging by the various cracks and fissures marked upon its surface... and he couldn't figure out what type of Monster it was from its poorly done design. He immediately wondered if the Monsters were terrible at making statues, but then noticed that there was a little scribble near the bottom of the plaque that said:

 **sculpted by Becker**

 **'So… Becker made this,'** thought Todd with a roll of his eyes, wanting to shake his head but didn't out of the sake of keeping his façade in check. **'They did such a cheaply done job, I have to wonder why the Monsters wanted to keep this around…'**

Movement from beside him alerted him, causing Todd to turn his head to Arturo as the dark brown furred Monster rose to his hindpaws. Todd promptly rose as well when Arturo was putting his helmet back on, and the moment they went around the statue, Todd heard many shouts.

"Arturo!"

"Did you see the Humans!?"

"Are we going to be okay!?"

The din of the Monsters seemed like a gush of fear, and Todd couldn't help but frown from behind his helmet as he saw the Monsters run over and cluster the two of them. For a long time, Monsters' cries didn't cease until Arturo pounded his paw into his chest, making the Monsters cringe from the unexpected clang.

"My fellow Monsters, there is no need for panic," said Arturo calmly, sweeping his gaze around him. "The remaining Human's SOUL will be retrieved in due time, I can assure you of that."

A murmur fell over the crowd.

"And Snowdin?" asked an elderly Monster who stood nearby Todd. "What about the Canine Unit?"

"Rover's still there, he'll take over leadership of the Canine Unit!" piped a tiny auburn-furred dog Monster, clenching his paws with excitement as he barked boldly, "Who else would be in charge there!?"

"Yeah!" cried the voice of a Monster somewhere in the crowd with equal cheerfulness. "Of course he will!"

Todd noticed the sad glint in Arturo's eye, and Todd blinked as the dark brown-furred Monster breathed in slowly.

"I have unfortunate news, in regards to that," said Arturo as he frowned down at the small dog Monster. "My fellow comrade, Rover, as well as Carmel and Xander, have been slain."

Right away a huge gasp rose up from all the Monsters.

"B-But he just _started_!" protested the canine child in dismay, his face paling within moments before he shook his head. "H-He had a life ahead of him as a Royal Guard member! He was always nice to me and played with me!" As a taller pale brown and white-furred canine Monster walked over, leaning down to place a paw on the little Monster's shoulder sadly, the little Monster wailed out in a sob, "He couldn't have been killed!"

"As much as I do not want to believe it myself, it is true," replied Arturo dolefully as he lowered his head; a frown gracing his lips. "If Rover had not wanted to return home like he had, he would not have encountered the Human who I have heard was lying in wait for him..."

While the canine child continued to cry, being comforted by his parent, Monsters began yelling out again.

"Why would the Human do that!? Rover was so nice!"

"Only a Human would prey on us Monsters like that!"

"Carmel didn't deserve that!"

"Xander wouldn't go down so easily, I don't believe you!"

"Humans are horrible!"

"Heartless scum!"

"I want that Human to DIE!"

As the ripple of anger and dismay waved over the crowd, Todd could tell the Monsters were quickly falling back into fear. It was hard to believe these Monsters cared so much about them, so he guessed many Monsters knew each other in the Undeground...

"My fellow Monsters, we must not turn to our anger so easily." Arturo frowned deeper as the Monsters continued to freak out, clenching his paw slightly as he inhaled. He raised his voice higher; sounding clear despite the yelling that threatened to drown it. "The Canine Unit can be revived, we can rebuild it! There is no need for fraught, we are survivors!" Soon some heads turned to him, going mute while others continued to angrily shout out. "The Old War took many of our loved ones, but this threat is not trifling as the Old War once were! As long as we do not lose ourselves, we shall not be broken by the Human!"

By now the Monsters had quieted, and Arturo took in a hefty breath before he softened his voice, "We, Monsters, can survive… We, Monsters, must look out for each other. And as long as we do, we can withstand the Human." For a moment he paused before he bellowed out from the top of his lungs boldly, "We shall see the New War one day, we shall stand together to make that happen! With Asgore leading us…" His voice faltered while he grimaced momentarily, promptly pounding his clenched paw into his chest a moment later. "We can see that day to fruition!"

After a few moments Monsters started to cheer, whooping as they shared excited looks with each other. Todd couldn't help but feel disgusted with what he was seeing, it was enough to make him gag that they were so happy over such a horrible thing. He was shocked that Arturo told them this, so he wondered why, in all honesty, Arturo did that. But Todd noticed after a few seconds that Arturo deflated slightly, which made Todd bewildered that Arturo's behavior changed when he appeared confident in the words he had uttered.

"But first, let us remember the fallen," said Arturo solemnly, clasping his paws together.

Promptly, the Monsters bowed their heads, and Todd did the same, whilst wondering how much longer they would be here for. He thought it ridiculous how Arturo wanted to spend this much time with them. For all they knew, the Captain of the Royal Guard could, at _any_ time, come into the room and interrogate the both of them... resulting in Todd's cover being blown then being killed on sight. However, Todd reminded himself as long as he played the part he was assigned, he would slip past them without letting them know what he truly was…

"Oi, Arturo!" shouted a feline Monster with a beak, whose puffy mane that was dotted with silver hairs shook upon him taking a step forward. "Who is that little lad with ya?"

Todd blinked, now noticing that the Monsters seemed to have finished mourning from the way confused murmurs of agreement ran through the crowd. For a few seconds, he wondered whether or not the disguise wasn't working when Arturo cleared his throat, and nodded.

"Ah yes…" Arturo paused momentarily before he rested his large paw on Todd's shoulder, making him sink towards the ground a little before responding evenly, "This is Emmanuel. I came across him the other day when I was returning to the Lab, and he happened to spot the Human who killed Carmel, Xander, and Rover without being discovered."

"Is he now…?" As the Monster squinted at him, frowning as he tilted his head twice to each side, his ears twitching as he spoke lowly, "I ne'er seen you 'fore in Hotland."

"Emanuel came from the Ruins," said Arturo smoothly in response, earning a sustained gasp from a few Monsters scattered through the crowd. "And wishes to join the Royal Guard."

"Now why does Emmanuel not want to tell us that himself, Arturo?" asked the same Monster in a note of wariness.

"Unfortunately, a note written by his parents has the reason for that." Arturo frowned. "Emmanuel had lost the use of his voice from a puzzle mishap a few years back, thus he cannot give you the news himself."

Straightaway, the feline Monster flinched, blinking dazedly for a few seconds before lowering his head. "I see." With a nod to Todd, the Monster murmured, "My apologizes, lad." He gave a pained smile, and his fangs peeked out slightly at Todd. "We all know how hard it is to keep up with our puzzles at times… and anyone can fall prey to them. So do not feel ashamed of that... it happens."

Todd stared at the Monster for a while before slowly giving a small nod.

"What kind of Monster is he?" asked another Monster excitedly, hopping up and down with pep. "Oh! Oh! Is he a Lupine Monster!? Or a Froggit Monster!?"

"Jimmy!" A Monster, who had been beside the cheerful one, cuffed him on the head. "Froggits are not bipedal- you should know better than that!"

"Oops… heheh…" The Monster slowly rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, slowly giving a goofy grin soon after. "But seriously... what kind of Monster is he?"

"I regret to inform you, my fellow Monsters, that the mishap affected more than just his voice," said Arturo as he lowered his head. "Emmanuel's wounds from that day have not healed correctly, and alas, he does not wish for other Monsters to see them." A couple of Monsters whispered to each other uneasily, but Arturo inhaled deeply. "Nonetheless, his parents' wishes for him to join the Royal Guard has never died... so I shall bring him to King Asgore to see if he deems Emmanuel is fit to join."

After a few seconds of Monsters sharing more whispers, the lion-like Monster strolled up to Todd and nodded. "Well, I know your situation is bleak at the moment, Emmanuel, but know that we are happy you are here." Monsters piped up from the crowd and the feline Monster continued, "Yer assistance in bearing arms against Humankind is such a relief, especially now that we have lost so many of our own kind in such a short span of time. So I hope ya do well, and I am sure King Asgore cannot refuse a lad like ya."

"Yeah, you got this!" shouted a short tabby cat Monster boldly, raising a paw jovially in the air. "You have nothing to worry about!"

"Knowing that another Monster is here to protect us makes me so happy…" murmured a Monster tearfully as she drew a little squirming Monster in her arms closer to her. "I can't stand the idea of losing my child to _such_ a horrid being."

"Good luck!" cried another Monster.

"Thank you so much!"

"You're going to do great out there!"

"With you here, the Royal Guard will not die out!"

"Humankind doesn't stand a chance against us now!"

Arturo seemed to wait until the cheering died down before he murmured, "Emmanuel and I must depart, but know that I am grateful for your understanding and support of Emmanuel." After patting Todd's shoulder, Arturo turned, and waited until the Monsters drew away to create a path for the both of them to leave before he finished, "To this day, I thank you, my fellow Monsters, for being there for me as well..."

"But of course, Arturo," replied the elderly feline Monster warmly. "Ya have done so much for everyone, we can hardly forget yer deeds so easily."

With a nod, Arturo began to walk away.

Todd quickly moved to follow after him, trying his best to look away from the joyful expressions that pressed at each side of his vision. **'If you knew who I really was, would you treat me the same way?'** He narrowed his eyes. ' **I can't believe you're so horrible, _so_ stupid… that you still believe I'm worth your pity, _and_ your friendliness!' ** The moment they got away from the crowd of Monsters, Todd shook his head bitterly. **'You're all** _ **disgusting**_ **…'**

When they entered through an archway, bright orbs of light spanned on the sides of the metal-piped lane they strode across. Within a few steps, Todd stopped and raised his voice. "Why did you say that?"

At once, Arturo halted, turning his head back to Todd slightly, and blinked his yellow gaze. "What do you mean, Todd?"

"You were talking about the New War as though you were looking forward to it!" spat Todd venomously, trembling on the spot. "You were encouraging the New War-"

"...It was not what I wanted, it was what they wanted."

Todd widened his eyes slightly. "What?"

As Arturo fully-turned to Todd, his bushy wolf-like tail swished as he spoke quietly, "I do not approve of the New War, but from what has been occurring these last few days…" He frowned as he closed his eyes. "Monsterkind needs hope more than ever."

"Then how will-"

Arturo raised his paw up. "We shall speak of this when I feel that prying ears are not near." He turned away, briskly walking across the path again. Todd let out a frustrated growl before following Arturo into a blue floored and walled room.

The first thing that Todd noticed about it was all the various red wires and flashing lights that were threaded across the walls, and he couldn't help but stare at them in awe. **'Conveyor belts… don't come close to this!'** he thought with excitement as he whipped his head around, noticing more and more of how this place looked like it came from science fiction. **'If Edgar was here, he would be flipping out about this! I bet he would run out of things to write about in his note-'** Todd frowned, feeling a swell of pain in his chest when he shook his head. **'No… Edgar isn't here… and his notebook is ruined.'** He scowled as he thought in frustration, **'This place doesn't matter right now!'**

" _So_ … which way do we go?" asked Todd coolly, noticing that there were two doors that led away from either side of the elevator door before them.

"As of right now, the Captain has closed entry to the CORE, due to his insight that the Royal Scientist may have gone there last," replied Arturo sadly. "The CORE was the Royal Scientist's creation, so half of my comrades have spent tireless days searching its depths for signs of his presence, but thus far have not found him." Slowly Arturo lowered his head slightly, soon going on as he sighed, "As well, the Monsters who resided there have been waiting for a long time to return home, and I can only hope my fellow Monsters will be able to go back soon."

"And why is the… 'Core' important?" asked Todd with annoyance.

"Other than the elevator, that we will be taking, the CORE is the only other passage that leads to New Home."

Todd gave a shrug to that. "Okay, that makes sense."

The dark brown furred bear-like and wolf-like Monster nodded at that, soon turning his head back to the elevator and put his paw on the button. For a while, there was humming from the other side before the doors hissed to the sides, allowing them to enter the small compartment that rumbled to life when Arturo pressed another button.

After a few seconds, Arturo turned his head down to look at Todd. "Todd, what was the question you wanted to ask me earlier?"

Todd gave a huff, looking away when he mumbled, "If you want to lead them away from the New War, then why are you giving them hope for it?"

Inhaling deeply, Arturo soon replied to that, "Hope was the one thing Monsterkind had lost since the day Prince Asriel died, but King Asgore has slowly given it back to them through the New War. And without hope, Monsters might not see anything to live for." He closed his eyes. "Despair in the long term can tear Monsterkind apart, leaving them to become husks of themselves. Would you rather subject your loved ones to that, Todd? Torturing them instead of giving them hope to thrive and live their lives to the fullest?" When Todd shook his head at that, Arturo sighed, "Even if the hope that I am giving them now is fleet, it will serve to give them the strength to continue on."

"But if you do that, they may not agree with giving up the New War, Arturo," said Todd quietly with a frown. "When they see that you are against what they want… won't you have no power to change their minds then?"

"Swaying the minds of Monsters, even Humans, can take time, Todd." Arturo shook his head, blinking as he set his calm gaze forward. "If I want to make sure the New War fades away before it begins, I need to slowly give Monsterkind the impression that it was never a good notion to begin with."

"And how would you do that?"

"If King Asgore is slain by the very being that he had hoped to destroy in the New War, Monsterkind will give in to fear, seeing that they had no chance for winning the New War," explained Arturo quietly, bowing his head as went on steadily, "King Asgore is the strongest Monster of the Underground, and many Monsters see him as a beacon of hope. Without him, they will see that there is no one that can lead them into it, not even me. As painful as it will be to strike this blow into them, once they recover from it, I can ease them away from the massacre that could have been." With a smile, Arturo turned his head back to Todd. "And once they understand that no more Humans will fall down, they will begin to see that the Barrier will never be broken, and they will forever stay here. From that point on, the only direction they can go would be towards burning the memory of the New War from their minds, and I can then help them understand that living in the Underground is not as bad as they may believe. If everything goes according to plan, the Underground will only become known as our home, and not a place to escape from. That is why your help in this matter is certainly appreciated by me, Todd. When you take yourself and your sister's and friends' SOULs back to the Surface, stealing away the key for Monsterkind to escape, we will no longer have any chance to return to the Surface.

"Thus, Monsterkind will one day disappear from the knowledge of Humankind, as well as Humankind to Monsterkind." Suddenly the rumbling of the elevator ceased, and Todd flinched, a bit surprised that they got to their destination now. When the doors opened, Arturo breathed slowly, "Both of our races will cease to exist in regard to each other, and life will go on as if Monsterkind and Humankind never had an encounter. Humankind will be erased from our history, and Monsterkind will be erased from yours. This will be the best option if we are to be and remain in peace." And with that, Arturo walked out.

Todd kept up with Arturo's strong stride fairly well as they went across a room into a hallway, leading them to another elevator that they entered.

* * *

Once the elevator whooshed open, they came across long grey halls that they went through in silence. At first, Todd was startled by the lack of colour, but he felt it wasn't strange considering how the entrance's interior to the Castle was grey as well. He only supposed it was just the fact that he might have been a bit too preoccupied with the flashy interior of the CORE's entrance and exit…

But Todd didn't focus on what was around him, ignoring the various buildings in the distance by keeping his dark blue gaze forward as he strode through each hall with Arturo.

Soon, they slowly came up to a building that was familiar to Todd. He couldn't help but stop for a minute when he got close enough, studying its structure before it finally occurred to him why it was familiar.

This was exactly like Toriel's home…

Faint memories of the kind Monster ran through his mind, but he squashed them as hard as he could right away. He could hardly think of any of his memories of the Monster's home without thinking about how Winnie, Angie, and Edgar was with him at that time as well, and a dull pain in his heart reminded him that this time they weren't with him.

Not wanting to waste his time mourning, Todd steeled his gaze towards the entrance before hastily striding towards it.

The first thing he did when he was inside the dull grey interior was head towards the stairs, forcing himself to walk down the steps that eerily matched the same ones he went down last time. He felt like he should have been suffocating from the agony of being in this place... however, all he had was the same dull pain that trickled inside him.

"You seem to know your footing here," remarked Arturo as he thumped down the steps after Todd.

"...I've already been through a place like this," Todd returned flatly, feeling his heart ache slightly more.

"Ah, but of course," said Arturo mildly, taking slower steps as they descended towards the bottom. "You would have had to go through Home to depart from the Ruins."

"Home?" echoed Todd in confusion, stepping off of the steps to find that his surroundings were now engulfed by the dim lighting. For a few seconds, Todd squinted, picking out that they were in a long hallway...

His mind drifted towards the same purple hallway that he followed Toriel through... his friends and sister by his side-

A deep inhale from behind him made Todd flinch, turning his head as he heard Arturo's breath resonate through the corridor. "Home was the threshold between the Ruins and Snowdin Forest, and was once a home for us weary Monsters when we were first cast into the Underground," explained Arturo as Todd calmed himself down, starting to travel down the grey corridor as Arturo went on, "Asgore tried to recreate Home, and this is the place that we now walk..." Arturo paused for a brief second. "New Home."

Todd took in the information as he moved his hands along the walls, noticing that the lighting seemed to hardly get lighter... Right away, going on his memory of the purple corridor, he expected to come up to the familiar doors that Toriel had led them to… Immediately he bit his lip, shaking his head as he hoped he wouldn't see them. He didn't want to re-experience the doors where his sister exchanged a goodbye hug with Toriel, or the sad look on her face that they had to leave the Caretaker of the Ruins... However, to Todd's relief, they didn't come up to it. Instead they met another hallway that was open-faced on Todd's left, giving them the view of thousands of buildings from afar...

Within a scarce set of steps, Todd halted abruptly the moment he heard Arturo draw his swing blade out, cringing when the Monster swung it forward to cleave a bolt of blue in half. As the blue fell to the ground, Todd widened his eyes at the sight of split spear parts on the ground.

 **'Someone was trying to kill us!?'** he thought in alarm, biting his lip as he studied the spear pieces with worry. **'I can't believe I let my guard down! But Arturo...'** He slowly lifted his head, looking at Arturo while drawing in a shaky inhale. **'If it weren't for him, either of us could've been struck by that spear.'**

Todd could only be baffled by the way Arturo was lightly shaking his head, as if he wasn't bothered by the attempt of murder. Even worse, Arturo's musing made Todd feel frustrated about how lax Arturo was being, "Your aim was off."

Before Todd could ask the hybrid Monster what he was talking about, Todd flinched when something landed in front of the two of them...

"I almost got you, though!" exclaimed a blue bipedal fishlike creature, who wore nothing but black shorts, brown boots, and a white shirt; smacked her hand into her other. "My aim was farther than last time!"

"Indeed, it was..." murmured Arturo as the Monster, who was at least three inches taller than Todd (most likely a child like him), grinned widely with her pointy teeth. "Your training with King Asgore is shining through, Undyne."

She gave a hearty laugh. "Wait until you show me your technique!" She punched the air, causing her untamed red locks to whip all over the place. "Once you lay bare your moves, I'll be unstoppable in the war!" She stomped down hard, her eyes burning as they flickered to Arturo. "Lay it all on me already!"

"In due time, Undyne," said Arturo evenly. "We have matters to attend to for the time being."

"You have to do _something_!?" she cried out in dismay. "What is it!?" She blinked wide-eyed before she caught sight of Todd, soon curling one of her lips up to grin once more as she looked back at Arturo. " _Oh_... another one!"

Arturo gave a nod.

"Hey there!" She whipped to Todd, grabbing his hands as she piped, "I'm Undyne, training to be a member too! What's your name? How old are you?"

Todd grimaced, pulling his hands away to hold up his fingers twice.

"Eleven?" Undyne frowned as she cocked her head quickly to one side. " _Twelve_!?" At once, she grimaced as she exclaimed in frustration, "Which one is it!?"

Todd gave up, seeing how foolish it was to try to communicate what his age was without speaking.

"Emmanuel cannot speak, but I do believe he is younger than you." Arturo nodded to Undyne, soon sliding his swing blade back into the scabbard on his back as Undyne gasped loudly.

"He's younger than me!?" For a few seconds, her yellow eyes flickered around in a jumble, soon striking at Todd again. She clenched her scaley hands, shaking them as she proclaimed boldly with a grin, "When I become an official member of the Royal Guard, I'm going to slide through to catch up to you! That way- we can be Royal Guard besties!"

At once, Todd's breath hitched.

 _"Well, well, well… no one else is_ awesome _enough to replace your man Archie!"_ A faint image of Archie grinning widely came to mind.

Todd couldn't help but narrow his eyes at Undyne, shaking slightly as he gritted his teeth. **'Not a _fat_ chance… like I want to become friends with a Monster like you!'**

It was sickening, how Undyne wanted to squeeze into the gap that Archie once had been in. Despite how similar they were to each other, Todd would never replace his friends for anyone, not even if he was forced to live in the Underground for the rest of his life pretending to be a Royal Guard member. Todd would rather die than let that happen.

"Undyne, should you not be going home?" asked Arturo calmly, and Undyne whipped her head back to the older Monster. "Your parents might become worried if you are absent from their care for too long."

"Oh…" Undyne slightly deflated from that statement, withdrawing her hands to clench them as excitement sparkled in her eyes. "Oh yeah, I have to show them the move Asgore showed me!" With that, a blue spear materialized in her hands. She crouched down slightly, hopping back and forth in a sideways shuffle motion as she raised her spear towards Arturo, wearing a determined expression the whole time she did this.

Arturo smiled at that. "Then you best be off."

Crushing her spear into fragments, thrusting her finger forward, Undyne cried out, "But this doesn't mean I won't forget about your promise to show me your moves, Arturo! You promised, and you _will_ show me!" With a wave to Todd, she raced off with a call over her shoulder, "Can't wait to be in the Royal Guard with you, Manny!"

Todd grimaced, shaking his head as let out a sigh. **'And I hope I don't see you ever again…'**

After it had been a full minute that Undyne was gone, Arturo turned his head back to Todd. Todd was confused by the way that Arturo's eyes had darkened, looking pained as he spoke in a low voice, "I wish children, such as Undyne, would not be so invested in the New War as their parents are… This should not be the future that we should be nudging children to, for they do _not_ deserve to be a part of the bloodbath." Starting to trudge forward, Arturo put in grimly, "Todd, we need to stop the New War before that path becomes a reality."

Todd followed after him, soon turning into in a golden corridor that spanned far from him. For a few seconds, Todd brought his hand up to his face, shielding his eyes from the sudden radiance that blinded him. **'** _ **Argh**_ **! Why is it so bright in here!? I can hardly see!'** When his eyes adjusted to the affect of the light that was pouring through large windows (which were adorning the symbol from the Ruins), he realized something. **'It's…** _ **sunlight**_ **! Sunlight is here!'**

 _"Look, there's loads of sunlight!"_ Marley's ever so bratty voice rang through his mind. _"So we can't be that far!"_

 **'We must be close… we're nearly outside!'** Todd thought as he briefly felt his lips twitch upwards, smiling slightly as he stared at the golden light. Suddenly, he was aware of how something warm ran down his cheeks, and when he lifted his hands to them (a bit disorientated when his hands met his helmet instead of his face) he could only assume he was crying. But he didn't know why. He wondered promptly if he was sad, or happy… it just so hard to tell. Instead of the warm stirring in his heart, or the pained stings of his sorrow… his heart felt dead and cold.

 **'The end of the Underground must be nearby… as well as** _ **Asgore**_ **.'** His hands dropped to his sides, instantly feeling an intense swell of anger rising in him. Todd glared down the golden corridor, marching down it as he frowned deeply. **'We could have been here** _ **together**_ **!** _ **Alive**_ **,** _ **happy**_ **,** _ **relieved**_ **…'** He heard Arturo shadow his steps, but made no effort in focusing on it. **'But you took them away from me, Asgore! And** _ **now**_ **, you'll pay for what you've done to them!'**

Soon Todd met another lifeless grey hallway again, pressing forward as he wiggled his gloved fingers, tapping them against his sheathed gun as he breathed in and out unsteadily. **'I have to end this, or you'll never receive the justice that you deserve!'** Upon reaching an archway that was flanked by walls of bricks that vines hugged at the base, Todd halted as he leered through, picking out a large being that occupied the golden room before him. **'Is that him...?'  
**

Before Todd stormed in, he felt himself sink down to the floor when Arturo's paw rested on his shoulder again. "That is King Asgore…" said Arturo in a hushed tone, warily looking in before motioning his head towards the opposite direction that they came. "Your sister and friends' SOULs most likely are being imprisoned in a room at the end of this hallway. I know of the fact that King Asgore was planning on making a crypt, where he would hold them until all seven SOULs were attained…" With a grimace, Arturo soon met Todd's eyes with an unreadable expression. "I will attempt to free them, Todd, while you go to face King Asgore." He blinked slowly as he spoke solemnly, "I have no clue how long it will take me, but I assume the Captain of the Royal Guard will possibly be guarding them. And... I may be forced to draw my swing blade." A heartbeat later, Arturo put his paw on his chestplate, bowing his head slightly. "So if I give my blessings and farewell now, in the case that I may or may not return to you when we part."

"Thank you for your aid, Arturo," Todd said with a nod, soon giving a weak smile. "I can only hope the worst doesn't happen to you."

Arturo gave a pained expression in response, slipping his paw down to rest it on his pouch as he replied meekly, "I wish for that as well." He paused before shaking his head sadly. "But if it comes to it, I can only hope that I can weaken the Captain enough so if you may encounter and need to face him as well, that you can stop him from taking control of the situation in King Asgore's and my own absence." The wolf bear hybrid gave a nod before he began to trudge away. "Do not lose the fire within you, Todd… keep it burning until the end."

When the pounding footsteps down the hallway faded into nothing, Todd closed his dark blue eyes he thought solemnly, **'You won't fail, Arturo… you have to succeed! I…'** Turning his head, shaking it, he pursed his lips as he reopened his eyes to stare back into the golden room. **'I believe in you.'**

Within a minute of staring back into the room, Todd inhaled deeply before he entered it. He was a bit startled by all of the green vines and tiny plant buds that matted the ground, soon circling inward to larger ones that were golden… as well as the large Monster from before. The Monster was humming contently nearby a golden throne with purple fabric that a red trident rested on, and from seeing the crown on his head, there was mistaking that this was indeed Asgore.

All Todd could see at the moment was a purple cape that draped down to Asgore's white bipedal paws… and Todd noticed familiar white droopy ears, as well as and two large pointed horns on the top of the Monster's white furry head.

Upon taking another step forward, Todd froze when a voice rang through the room. "If you would be so kind... do not step on them." Todd blinked his dark blue eyes, realizing that the Monster was talking since the humming had stopped. "...The Golden Flowers, that is," said the Monster carefully. "They may not be in full bloom yet, but I wish that they would not be disturbed."

Todd set his lips in a flat line, rolling his eyes. **'They're just flowers… they can be regrown at any time. Plus, you have plenty of them to spare.'** He felt the urge to step on one of them, to see if he could get the Monster's attention, but then he squashed that idea. **'If I do that, then Asgore will know something is wrong.'** Glaring at the Monster, Todd clenched his hands. **'I can't let him know who I am… yet.'**

"Thank you," said Asgore in a grateful tone. A trickle of water was heard, and Todd spotted a blue watering can was being waved around, and saw the liquid falling on the premature flowers. "...These Golden Flowers are special to me, but not as much as the one that I cherish the most…" He paused briefly. "The one that my son's dust fell on when he..." Asgore's breath hitched, shuddering for a few seconds before he shook his head.

Soon the Monster forced out a perky chirp, "Ever since it matured, I have harvested its seeds, and they are growing into more Golden Flowers in the Throne Room at this current time." Asgore let out an endeared chuckle. "In fact, I like how they make it a bit more lively. I have always had a green thumb, and not all Monsters have appreciated plants as I have." Inhaling, his tone dipped down. "There is very few variety here, compared to the Surface's...

"Did you know that Golden Flowers are not native to the Underground?" asked Asgore suddenly, making Todd blink in surprise from the information. "They come from the Surface."

Todd frowned at that, looking at the growing Golden Flowers in slight awe. Until he came here, he had never seen flowers like these. He could only assume they went extinct in the past few months, but that didn't make him less amazed that these plants had once come from the same place he did.

Asgore went on in amusement, "The only reason that they have grown here, is because the first few seeds happened to come from a Human that I had taken in years ago..." Todd blinked, bringing his attention back to the Monster who continued to sprinkle his Golden Flowers with water. "They had some clinging to their clothing when we met, and we grew many from those seeds together along with my wife and son throughout the Underground." The white-furry Monster gave a hearty chuckle, his golden armour shaking and chinking from the sudden movement. "We may have had _one_ incident with some, but those years were some of the happiest days that I have lived since we surrendered into the Underground…" His voice became sad. "…Because of the Humans..."

When Asgore brought the pail out of Todd's view, Todd could only assume Asgore was watering a flower that was in front of him. "Did you find it interesting?"

Right away, Todd gave a curt nod. "It was," he replied quietly.

After giving a happy hum to that, Asgore exhaled. "But enough of that, I am sure that you have not come here to hear about me and my hobby..." He stopped humming after a bit, and his voice sounded strained. "You must be another potential Royal Guard member. And... thank you for coming."

Todd screwed up his expression. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked as politely as he could, trying to stop himself from growling out the question.

"Why am I thanking you?" Asgore paused; the sound of the pail's water stilling. "You may be surprised that the only Monsters that ever visit me are Undyne, my Captain of the Royal Guard, and Monsters like you who want to join. For that, thank you."

The bipedal Monster placed the watering can beside the throne, raising his head backwards as he explained contently, "If you must know, I find it rather refreshing, meeting another Monster after so many weeks. For that, I can only assume the Royal Guard are going about their usual business, searching for Humans..." He put his white paw on the throne's armrest, gripping it shakily. "I enjoy spending time with Monsters, but these last few months have not been so grateful to me." He gave a shuddered breath. "I-If it were not for my Captain of the Royal Guard, I have to wonder how I could have gotten through them as I have."

For a long while, it was silent. Todd could tell how the Monster appeared to be tormented by what had happened… but Todd couldn't let himself care abut that. He reminded himself that this Monster was the one that killed the people who Todd was close to, and he carefully rested his gloved hand on his revolver, not wanting to arouse suspicion from the king of Monsters.

"Oh? Perhaps I have rambled on for long enough..." noted Asgore as his paw slid off of the armrest, turning to Todd. The Monster had a bit of a golden mane and a beard, but that wasn't the thing that caught Todd's attention the most.

Asgore was another bipedal goat Monster… like Toriel.

He had a big smile on his face as he gazed at Todd; a friendly glimmer was easily seen in his eyes. His golden armour and pauldrons glimmered in the glow of the sunlight, making Todd want to look away from being blinded, but kept his gaze on the Monster.

"Howdy, I am King Asgore," said the large Monster cheerfully. "And what might your name be?"

"It's… Todd."

"Ah, Todd..." Asgore gave a nod, gesturing his hand as he spoke calmly, "If you do not mind, before we get into business, I would like to wait for my Captain of the Royal Guard to arrive before we talk about your enrollment."

Todd gave a curt nod to that.

For a long while they stared at each other, and Todd spent that time studying the Monster, trying to pinpoint the best locations he could deliver the most painful blows that he could muster at the Monster. It was funny how this Monster, who was said to have wanted to kill the Humans, would be so friendly and naïve to a stranger that he just met… In fact, it was despicable how Asgore assumed Todd wanted to be a member of the Royal Guard, but Todd was merely thankful that he didn't have to do anything to convince the Monster of that.

"Hmm... I have to say, the armour seems to fit you well," mused the white-furred goat Monster with a nod. "I guess he really is certain of your abilities..." Half a second later, Asgore asked politely, "Do you prioritize in a certain field of magic, or do you mainly use your strength to carry yourself through the fight? Do you have a certain type of weapon you are apt at?" Suddenly the Monster blinked, smiling as he took a few careful steps closer. "Oh? Is that your weapon?"

When Asgore stopped walking, Todd noticed a slight change in his expression. Todd narrowed his eyes, noticing that the Monster looked confused. "Huh? It appears that you have something on your..." Immediately, his eyes widened, stiff in horror as he gasped, "...N-No! It cannot be!? That is dust!" As soon as the Monster took a step forward, he asked frantically, "Why do you have dust on your-"

It was then and there that Asgore's gaze grew cold. "No…" With a shake of his broad head, he took a step back. "You are not a Monster, are you?"

Todd couldn't help but let out a cruel laugh, "You really are stupid, aren't you?" The dark brown haired boy frowned, bringing out his revolver and watched as the Monster tensed. "Of course I'm not a Monster, you sick monster!"

Asgore merely stared at him, clenching his paws as he narrowed his eyes. "So, you're a Human..."

"Yeah, I'm a Human," said Todd coldly, pulling off his gloves (after he found it was hard to hold his revolver when he had them on) then started to adjust the chambers of his revolver. "I may be not the smartest one, but I know that you should've been careful of who you're talking to. If you did, you would've noticed how we're the only ones here." Upon hearing a chink from his revolver, he breathed out deeply. "How despicable…"

Slowly, the long red trident was retrieved by Asgore, and Asgore spoke quietly as he glared at Todd, "You have made a grave mistake coming here…"

"Oh no, I haven't." Todd shook his head. "I'm here to kill you."

"I do not want to fight you," said Asgore coldly. " _Not_ in this place-"

"Well, that's a shame!" shouted Todd, aiming his revolver right at Asgore. "It would be nice for your Golden Flowers if we used your dust as fertilizer!"

Right away, Todd shot his gun, but Asgore whipped the bullet away, making it rebound into a window. Upon hearing it smash, Todd let out a growl before he felt pain strike through his stomach, and he let out a cry as his back met the archway of the entrance to the room. He heard thuds go past him, and he weakly pushed himself up, finding that the bipedal goat was rushing down the grey hallway.

"Get back here!" shouted Todd in frustration, thrusting himself to his feet as he gave chase to the Monster. He turned the chambers on his revolver, raising his gun up as he tried to make another shot, but the Monster had already retreated from the grey hallway. Todd pushed hard on his feet, running back into the golden corridor to meet Asgore who was halfway through, standing with his trident raised and ready. "So, you fled to fight me here?" spat Todd as he tightened his grasp on his revolver, taking a few steps forward towards the disgusting waste of space.

"Those flowers were the only mementos that I had left of my family as a whole," coolly replied Asgore as he stared forward, unmoving. "If I let you damage the last things that I have left of our happy days together, it wouldn't matter if you were dead or alive, I would feel another tear in my heart of the tragedy that is my life!"

With a quick swing of his trident, he bellowed, "I will not let you live!" Suddenly flames spewed on the tips of the three-pointed trident. "I will not let the Monsters lose their freedom forever! We shall break the Barrier with your SOULs!"

Whipping his trident at Todd, fireballs hurled towards Todd, prompting him to skid across the smooth-tiled floor to dodge each of them. Todd let out a growl, raising his revolver up when he realized Asgore was running towards him. The Monster's eyes started to glint orange and blue a couple of times before swinging his orange and blue flashing trident. Todd cried out when the trident hit him twice, but upon seeing the trident turn orange, he barreled into it then stiffened when a blue blur flew at him before swiping through his body.

He turned around to Asgore, raising his revolver again and shot a bullet that was cleanly struck away by Asgore, making Todd curse when a wave of fireballs assaulted him. With a cry of pain, Todd thrust himself out of the way of the onslaught of attacks as Asgore bellowed, "I have seen enough of all the misery that Monsters go through because I did not act fast enough! If I had-" With a guarded crouch, slanting his trident in front of him, he gritted his teeth. "I would have saved Monsters from this pitiful fate!"

Waves of fire came at Todd again, making him throw himself away as more and more waves of flames followed after him. He turned his head quickly to Asgore, hissing bitterly, "I don't care! You took away those who I cared about!"

"That does not excuse you or the rest of Humans, child!" countered Asgore angrily, jabbing the bottom of his trident onto the ground, instantly creating a ring of fire around Todd. "We thought they changed since then!"

Todd panicked, noticing the ring of fire inch towards him. He noticed a gap within it and darted past the flames, doing the same when more rings of fire came into creation from each tap Asgore gave with his weapon.

"But clearly we didn't!" shouted Todd furiously as he quickly fired a shot at Asgore, grimacing when his reckless aim struck a pillar instead. "You made that horrible Royal Guard to kill me, my sister, _and_ my friends! And we had _nothing_ to do with harming any of you!"

"That does not change the fact that we need your SOULs in order to bring about our freedom, child!" Asgore stomped towards him, his eyes flashing again and Todd tried his best to dodge the blows from Asgore's trident. "That does not change the fact of your origins! That does not change the fact that Humans destroyed what was left of my happiness!"

The dark brown haired boy yelped when his helmet was fluently cut off from his head, making him stumble backwards when he put his hand on his forehead, feeling blood rush down onto his face. As the figure of Asgore became blurry in his vision, Todd gave a huff, quickly pulling out his half-finished Hotland Gumbo, shoving as much as he could into his mouth before dropping the glass container when Asgore tried to strike him again.

Todd breathed in and out heavily, whipping his revolver up again and steadied it the best he could. He clenched down on the trigger hard, grimacing from the bad backlash and the fact that Asgore batted away the yellow bullet. The scruffy haired boy quickly tried to shoot again, this time hitting Asgore's armour when Asgore was too slow to deflect it. **'Grr... this is starting to get annoying!'** thought Todd angrily as he shifted the chambers of his gun. **'At this rate I'll dent his armour before I kill him!'**

Upon seeing Asgore's trident jabbing towards him, Todd rammed his revolver into it, pulling the trigger again and hearing Asgore grunt when Todd hit the Monster's arm. Within seconds Todd's revolver was ripped out his hands, spinning in the air as it clattered and slid a few feet away from Asgore. Instantly, Todd widened his eyes, thrusting himself back and forth to avoid being skewered by the trident. **'NO!** **I can't attack or defend myself without that!'** With a growl at his slow speed, Todd thought bitterly, **'** ** **I'm only lucky enough that I have this armour to protect me for now!**...But I wish it was lighter on me! _Argh_!'**

As fast as Todd could, he ran past Asgore, trying to retrieve his revolver that lay on the ground. When Todd nearly got to his gun, he heard the Monster was pounding right behind him already, and Todd knew he would get killed if he didn't pick up his pace. So with a last ditch effort, he threw himself on the ground, grimacing from the pain in his stomach to slide to his gun. While attempting to get up, Todd found Asgore's shadow on him, and instantly rolled himself to the side with effort to avoid being impaled. He pushed himself up to sit, getting up and raising his gun and aiming it at Asgore. Todd pulled the trigger, only to give a cry of frustration when he clicked the trigger while the revolver sputtered out nothing. **'Not now…'**

Todd shoved his hand into his ammunition pouch, drawing out four bullets, then popped them into the revolver and tried to fish out the other two. Before he could put the last two bullets in, Asgore threw fireballs at him again, causing Todd to jolt and push himself away while he accidentally released his bullets.

When the fireball attack stopped, Todd clenched his fists, snarling as he glared at Asgore, "It doesn't matter if you're happy or angry, or if you've made others kill for you, you _still_ killed the people close to me!" As Asgore breathed in and out heavily, Todd growled more, "You have blood on your paws, and you can't shift the blame! So you need die for what you've done, you disgusting monster!"

"I was only…" Asgore took a few seconds to regain some of his breath, tightening his hold on his trident. "I am only trying to make everything right again-"

" _Right_ _again_!?" sneered Todd coldly, shaking his head as he felt his prickly locks scratch the sides of his face. " _Nothing_ will be right again! If it weren't for you and your stupid Royal Guard…" Todd hardened his eyes as he slipped in two more bullets, soon raising his revolver again at the Monster. "Everyone would be alive, and everything would be right again…"

For a few seconds, Todd noticed how Asgore's intense expression faltered slightly, looking pained as his gaze softened for a brief second. Todd couldn't help but feel as though what he just said resonated with the Monster… However, as pathetic as that was, Todd knew the Monster's resolve fell.

Steadying his revolver, he knew it would be the perfect time to land a bullet in Asgore's head… yet for some reason, his finger shakily tapped against the trigger. He had to kill the Monster, he had to make Asgore turn into a heap of ashen dust… but Todd's finger just wouldn't press against the trigger. He had no clue why he didn't do it yet, but he knew he had to…

If he didn't…

" _Can't you at least spend five minutes with us up there? We don't spend as much time as we used to... and we might not have as much time in the future to do stuff!"_ Archie's disappointed expression bore into him, making Todd grimace. He wished he spent more time with Archie... _"…I-I... you're my best friend, Todd, and I can't imagine doing this without you."_

" _We should rest."_ Angie's concerned expression made Todd blink, thinking about how her worries often allowed them to be aware of their limits. They would have probably gotten into trouble more if it weren't for her. _"Especially you, Todd… We nearly got killed by those… Froggits, and I think you've run yourself ragged during the walk here."_

" _Yes. As much as I appreciate your concern, Todd, I don't want this to bog me down too much. So I rather have it that you give up on the sentiments as of right now."_ Despite all the times Edgar tried to push them forward, trying to be stern and unimpressed most of the time, Todd could tell Edgar was trying to to be mature and looked out for them. Although, Todd guessed now that it must have put a lot of stress on his friend. _"Now then, I believe the best route would be to forgo this one."_

" _Oh, cough out your damn lungs,_ Todd _!"_ Todd may not have always gotten along with Marley, but he had always assumed she held some kind of happiness that he was his friend since she spent time with him. _"You're being fucking annoying, and I can't stand another moment breathing the same_ damn air _with_ you _!"_

" _Big Brother is always nice to me!"_ Winnie appreciated him… and he never wanted to snub her… " _I would never be mean to him!"_

" _You're so smart, Big Brother."_ Winnie always looked up to him…

" _I like Mr. Snowman! You made him_ _so_ _happy, Big Brother!"_ He always liked making his sister happy… _"Thank you!"_

" _Please don't feel bad, you're good"_ Winnie could never hate him… _"I love you, Big Brother…"_

" _B-Big B-Brother..."_ She loved him… _"I… I-I love you, B-Big Brother..."_

Yet he couldn't protect her.

He couldn't protect any of them!

This Monster killed them all!

At once, Todd shoved away his memories, sharpening his gaze as he gripped his gun harder. **'I'm going to make your death the most agonizing! You're going to die know how terrible of a Monster you are!'** Resting his finger on the revolver, he hardened his eyes. **'This is your justice!'**

Pulling hard, his yellow wispy bullet hurled at the kingly Monster…

Only for it to be struck away.

" _Asgore_ , you are not safe here! I will deal with the Human!"

Todd widened his eyes, shaking as he stared at the newcomer. **'Wh-What…?'**

For a while, Asgore breathed in and out, his expression in complete shock before shakily nodding as he breathed, "I-I will..." Turning, Asgore started to hobble away. "Th-Thank you, m-my friend…"

The Monster in bronze armour merely scowled at Asgore, making the king of Monsters flinch before he began to hastily make his getaway.

As Todd watched the large Monster disappear down the corridor, he slowly brought his gaze back to the Monster who intervened.

Arturo had his back turned, appearing to watch the Monster flee while his bronze armour glimmered in the harsh sunlight. Todd grimaced briefly from the reflection it gave out, but that didn't stop Todd from trembling and glaring at the wolf bear hybrid in anger. "What's wrong with you!?" roared Todd furiously as he lashed his hand with his revolver at Arturo, stomping his foot down and hearing it echo through the corridor. "You could have weakened him- yet you helped him to escape! What's the meaning of this, Arturo!?"

Instead of replying, Arturo merely kept staring off into the distance.

"Did you hear me!?" snapped Todd as he unsteadily breathed, trying to figure out why a Monster as smart as this one just made the stupidest mistake in existence. "You let him go! You had the perfect chance to mortally wound him, and yet you _didn't_!" Deeply, yet shakily inhaling, Todd choked out, "Why, Arturo, why!? Talk to me!"

A chuckle was heard.

Todd blinked in confusion. "Arturo…?"

"It was according to plan, Todd," said Arturo evenly, letting his deep voice ring through the corridor. "Do not fret."

" _No_ , it wasn't!" spat Todd furiously, scowling at once. "You were supposed to strike him down, allowing me to take his SOUL!" As he took steps towards the Monster, he clenched his fists. "That was your plan, yet you sabotaged it! You failed your own plan!"

"Of course not," said Arturo calmly, shaking his head. "My plan is still in motion, even as we speak."

"What are you talking about!?" The dark brown haired boy halted, narrowing his eyes into slits as he growled, "You didn't-"

"Todd, may I ask you a question?"

" _Now_!?" asked Todd in frustration, shaking his head angrily. "We have to chase down Asgore before he gets to his Captain of the Royal Guard, who will make it harder to kill him!"

"Just… a moment of your time." Arturo turned back to him, smiling warmly as his yellow eyes gazed at Todd sharply. "Do you know of why I did the actions that I just have done?"

" _No_!" spat Todd as he waved his revolver at Arturo. "You're not making any sense, Arturo! You ruined your plan!"

"Hmm… I did not."

Just as Todd was about to yell at the Monster more, he suddenly was aware of something.

"Wh-Where's the SOULs?" asked Todd in confusion, softening his glare as he furrowed his eyebrows. "You were supposed to get them, and I don't see them." He looked up and down Arturo's broad body, searching for the SOULs of his friends and sister… but he didn't see them at all. "Wh-Where… Wh-Where are they…?" asked Todd quietly, almost breathlessly.

"I do have them, Todd," said Arturo as he closed his eyes, inhaling softly. "Do not worry."

Immediately, Todd couldn't help but feel his guts clench from those words. **'Y-You do…? I don't see them…'** Arturo began to lumber towards Todd, taking on a casual pace as Todd took a step back. "A-Arturo?"

"Yes?" The dark brown-furred Monster stopped at the sound of Todd's squeak of his voice. "What is it, Todd?"

"You said you'd get them…" said Todd as he stared at Arturo, baffled by the lack of them. "B-But I don't see them…"

"Oh, Todd," breathed Arturo gently, shaking his head. "I have them. They are safe with me, do not be concerned."

"B-But-" The dark brown haired boy's voice died, and he blinked. Now that Arturo was close enough, Todd noticed something. He stopped looking at Arturo's face, trailing his gaze down to the pouch that held the dust of Arturo's spouse… noticing it twitching.

"We will go and you shall take down Asgore now, Todd. I was just giving Asgore the hope that he was safe…" Arturo paused, soon putting in firmly, "But when he knows that he cannot run, it will allow you the opportunity to take his SOUL… seeing how Asgore will have lost the will to fight."

Ignoring Arturo, Todd concentrated on the quivering pouch.

"T-Todd…"

Widening his eyes, he whipped his head around, frowning in bewilderment. **'A-Archie…?'**

"Is something wrong, Todd?" asked Arturo in concern, giving Todd a frown.

"Todd…"

 **'Angie…?'**

"Todd!"

 **'Marley?'**

" _Todd_!"

 **'Edgar!?'** Todd at once grew frantic, trembling as he tried to figure out whether or not he was really hearing his friends or was starting to hear voices finally after all this time. **'Why-'**

"Big Brother!"

Todd tensed. **'WINNIE!?'** He began to sweat, shaking harder. **'NO- you're all dead!'** He put his hands over the top of his head, ignoring the pain of pressing the side of his revolver against it as well while clenching his dark blue eyes shut. **'You're all dead, and I'm just hearing your voices! I'm just finally cracking up from all this, and my mind is just making up stuff for some crazy reason! You're _not_ here!'  
**

"We're here…" came the voices of his friends and sister. For some reason, they spoke as though they were one person, but were most likely from many people speaking in synchronization. "Help…"

"G- _Guys_!?" yelped Todd frantically as he looked around. " _Winnie_!? _Archie_!?" His breath shuddered. " _Edgar_!? _Angie_!?" He bit his lip, feeling sick and lightheaded suddenly. " _Marley_!?" He began to sink down, sitting on the ground as he breathed in and out unsteadily. "G-Guys…?"

"Todd… I know that this is a lot of pressure I am putting on you," said Arturo gently, taking a step towards Todd again from the sound of his thudding step. "But we must go now if you are to kill King Asgore. You do not need to panic, I am with you and will not let you be killed by him."

"You can't…" Edgar's strained voice rang. " _Run_ …"

Todd jolted the moment Arturo placed his paw on his shoulder, blinking dazedly into the Monster's gaze. "We are running out of time, Todd. We have to do this now, before it is too late."

" _It's_ -" Edgar's urgent cry was silenced.

Arturo had put his paw over his pouch. "Are you unwell?"

At once, Todd felt his rapid heartbeat swallow his hearing, and wildly shook where he sat. **'Something's not right!'**

Suddenly, he thought he saw a glint of green.

"B-Big Brother…"

Without thinking, Todd drew his revolver from his head, bringing it down to his side. Immediately, Arturo withdrew, backing away as he gasped out, "Todd!?"

Blood rang through his ears, and without thinking, Todd whipped his gun up and pulled the trigger.

An alarmed cry sounded from Arturo, but all Todd heard was a small thud. He widened his eyes, staring at the pouch that lay on the ground… noticing various colours twinkling from it. Todd gawked at it, letting his jaw droop as he shook his head. **' _No_ … it can't be!?'**

"Todd…" Arturo's appalled gaze slowly became round with concern. "I know that the stress of the situation is setting in, but-"

"…Sh-Shut up…"

Arturo flinched, widening his yellow gaze. "Wh-What do you mean, Todd-"

"Y-You…" Todd's expression twisted into an ugly glare. "Y- _You_ _monster_ …" As Todd slowly rose, clenching his hands hard, he roared on the top of his lungs, "YOU MURDERER!"

For a while, Arturo slowly became expressionless as he started at Todd. And Todd couldn't help but seethe as he shook, hearing his revolver rattle as his blood boiled to the point it felt like it dissolved into air. "You _monster_!" He whipped his glare to the pouch. "YOU KILLED THEM!"

"Todd…" He watched as the mixture of light in the pouch became brighter, noticing the pouch stirring as it lay there. Without a warning, the pouch was scooped up, and Arturo clenched the top with his paws, staring at Todd with blank yellow eyes. "I have them because I retrieved them from the crypt, Todd," said Arturo calmly.

"No! You didn't! You killed them! Why did you kill them!?" screamed Todd shrilly, aiming his revolver at Arturo as his heart drummed harder. "You don't want bloodshed, yet you killed them!? _Why_!?" He clenched his eyes closed as he shouted sharper, "WHY!?"

"Todd…"

"You killed them… I know you did!" growled Todd slowly in ill-temper, steadying his grip and pointing the revolver where he knew it would pierce Arturo's skull. "Stop giving me this syrupy denial, Arturo! Tell me the truth!"

The Monster closed his eyes. "Todd…" There was a heavy pause, and Todd was about to fill the silence when he heard a mild chuckle. "You really are a naïve child, are you not, Todd?" Todd pursed his lips into a taut frown, glaring hard at the Monster. "You are trusting, you relied on me when I came into your life, and you did not press hard about who I was… except I was one that saved you."

"You saved me from the Captain of the Royal Guard, you helped me back onto my feet to find a purpose to live for…" Todd bit his lip. "But you… you killed them."

"I did not kill-"

"Yes, you did!" snapped Todd harshly, cutting off the Monster abruptly. "I know you did!"

"Then tell me, why you think I would go out of my way, and kill Humans when I did not." Arturo's bushy, wolf-like tail twitched.

" _You did_ , and I will tell you why!" Todd leered at the Monster straight in the eye. "You didn't hit Asgore when you should have."

"And why would that pertain to me killing innocents?" asked Arturo smoothly, blinking slowly. "I would never in my life kill innocents."

"If you wanted me to kill Asgore, you would have struck Asgore when he didn't know you were there!" shouted Todd, watching Arturo open his jaw again, but beat the Monster to it before he could speak, "That Monster called you his friend! He knew who you were! You said you didn't want to serve him, but the way you acted... you acted like he was important to you- like you wouldn't let him die!"

Gritting his teeth, Todd yelled on the top of his lungs, "You're lying to me, Arturo! I don't know why you're lying to me, but you are! Tell me-" Sharply he shot at Arturo. "Why are you doing this!?"

Arturo drew out his swing blade again, deflecting the shot. The moment the bullet hit one of the grand windows, shattering its glass, Arturo slowly slid his swing blade back into the scabbard on his back. "You do not understand still, even though the evidence is before you."

"What evidence!?" croaked Todd with his raw voice; his throat hurting from the volume he had been using the whole time.

"I would never kill a Monster, Todd."

Todd furrowed his eyebrows. "Why does that matter now?"

"There would be no way to get rid of the Captain of the Royal Guard… if I do not want to kill a Monster, Todd."

"Then how did you get rid of him?" asked Todd in appall, whipping his head back and forth in case the Captain of the Royal Guard appeared.

"I did not."

"WHAT!?" Todd gawked at Arturo, shaking his head as his expression screwed up into a dark glare. "You were supposed to get rid of him!"

"Todd, let me tell you this…" Arturo smiled, giving a chuckle. "That would be impossible… seeing how it is me."

Blood roared through Todd's ears. "Y-You're…"

"Yes…" Arturo gave a nod. "And now that everything is in place…" Grabbing ahold of the pouch with his other paw, the Monster clad in bronze armour tore open the pouch. Todd gasped, watching as Light Blue, Orange, Dark Blue, Purple, and Green hearts floated right in the palm of Arturo's paw. "I can finally achieve what I have wanted to after all these years."

With a backhand of his paw, Arturo swatted all five hearts into the pillar nearby them. Todd widened his eyes in horror, yelling out, "NO!" Just before Todd could race towards them, he exclaimed painfully as he was hurled into the wall at the beginning of the hall. "Ungh-"

As Todd fell onto the ground, feeling like all of his bones had shattered from that blow, he weakly lifted his head up, glaring up at Arturo. "W-Why…?"

"I have been watching your journey, Todd, ever since the day I was aware of the fact that there were six Humans in Snowdin Forest," said Arturo evenly, adjusting his grip on his long swing blade (that Todd noticed Arturo was holding now) as he chuckled. "You all thought you were smart, hiding behind the trees… when I could smell your fear wafting off of you."

Todd widened his eyes. **'It- It can't be-'**

"Even if you six did not leave your footprints in the snow, I could see you…" The dark brown furred Monster smirked, giving a flick of his bushy tail. "I am a renowned tracker, if you are not aware of that yet. I let you all have a good long time of falling into the blanket of security before following you, keeping a good distance away to make my presence not known." Slowly Todd sat up, trying to pull himself up to his feet while using the wall as support. "I was lucky none of you decided to walk back whence you came... but I eventually caught up with you and was present when the holder of the Light Blue SOUL died. It was… satisfying, watching you all panic the moment Roxie killed one of your own. I was not surprised when you all fled… except for one."

"What does Marley have to do with this?" asked Todd shakily, grimacing as he nearly doubled over.

"She was the only one to fight back," explained Arturo steadily, his ears twitching. "And I have to admit, it was pure luck that you all stayed at Chester's inn… I did not let myself alarm you of my presence, especially when I was not needed in informing the Canine Unit of your existence." Arturo breathed in before he continued, "It was utter chaos in the streets of Snowdin when the Canine Unit was wiped out, all except for Rover who I did not associate myself with. I left without a Monster, other than Chester and his granddaughter, as well as you Humans... knowing that I was there."

Todd hardened his gaze. "So you were there the whole time?"

"Chester would never refuse letting an old friend stay at his inn…" said Arturo with a smile. "I paid the full amount beforehand, even though he insisted that there was no need for me to pay." With a whisk of his paw, he went on, "I went on to Waterfall, and watched as the holder of the Dark Blue SOUL slaughtered Monster after Monster, and I knew she would be the perfect vessel to take down Asgore."

"But why would you want her!?" asked Todd angrily.

"She was perfect, Todd… too perfect… " responded Arturo gently. "She had gained the thirst for killing by the time I met up with her..." After a few seconds, Arturo shook his head, looking displeased. "But she was too far gone to be used." With a frown, Arturo's eyes grew dark. "Although I was pleased with her willingness to kill, I did not enjoy how she slaughtered my fellow Monsters… So I mutilated her as horribly as I could to remind those who came across… or managed to come across her… to never kill my fellow Monsters."

Todd's heart stopped. "S-She… Marley killed Monsters!?" Todd shook his head. "No… that isn't true…"

"But it is, Todd," said Arturo with a dip of his head. "I requested her help, but she only tried to kill me. So, I killed her." With a tilt of his head, Arturo closed his eyes. "I went to the next child, a boy with the Purple SOUL… but he would not take part in my plan. So I struck him down as well, not as terribly as I did with the Dark Blue SOUL holder, and let him bleed out. I did not bother to wait for you, so instead I went to enlist Xander and Carmel in the capture of your SOULs… and watched your chase in the safety of the Lab." Pausing briefly, Arturo opened his eyes. "I wanted to give you hope, that you two could survive when the others did not…

"I asked Reggie to retrieve Xander and Carmel when I knew they would succeed with one of you," breathed Arturo lightly, smiling at Todd. "Then I made it my duty to take down the last Human of the six that I discovered in Snowdin…" He started to lumber towards Todd. "I wanted to make the last death special. I knew how much the deaths of the five Humans affected you, Todd, and I knew how moldable you would be even before I found you grieving your sister." Arturo's eyes narrowed. "And with little intervention, you became the Human I needed you to be. Effortlessly, I helped you, the holder of the Yellow SOUL, fill yourself up with LOVE." He let out a laugh. "Oh, so much LOVE… And you may have been wary of me, but you became my vessel." He smiled. "My pawn, my weapon, and my obedient Human."

"...What…?" Todd pressed his back to the wall. "I don't understand…"

"Oh, you do not need to understand anything, Todd," said Arturo mildly, adjusting his swing blade again. "All I need you to do is kill Asgore… or have me kill you either way."

Todd narrowed his eyes into slits. "But why would I help you!? Why would you need me to die!?" He clenched his hands into fists the best he could. "We were supposed to bring peace to Humans and Monsters!"

"There will never be peace between Humankind and Monsterkind, Todd," growled Arturo bitterly, scowling as he drew his lips back into a snarl. "Have you not heard of how I have said I learnt much about SOULs? Do you not know that we do not need seven Human SOULs?" He gave a laugh as he pointed his swing blade at Todd. "All I need is a Human, full of LOVE, then that would complete the equivalent of seven Human SOULs, and maybe even more." With a sharp intake of breath, Arturo grinned. "With Asgore's SOUL… you would easily have so much LOVE you would be two Humans instead of one, Todd! Along with the Dark Blue SOUL, the both of you would be more than enough! And we can break the Barrier- then slaughter all of Humankind!" Arturo went closer to Todd. "Now then, we must go and take down Asgore."

Right away, Todd swung up his revolver, gritting his teeth as he hissed out coldly, "I will _never_ help you."

Arturo looked amused at that. "Oh? But you have aided me enough already, Todd." He blinked, nodding as he went on confidently, "I told myself, a mere Monster could break the Barrier if they have seven Human SOULs… But a Monster with seven Human SOULs… _and_ a Monster SOUL could do even _more_." Arturo pointed his swing blade towards Todd. "Perhaps surpass Monsterkind!"

"But- you said-"

"I would have to make an exception," said Arturo coldly, frowning deeply as he went on, "to kill my best friend in cold blood for the war that should have been waged ages ago. He did not have the spine to inflict it, so I must now take matters into my own paws. Once Humankind no longer exists, Monsterkind will thrive on the Surface…" He gave a thrilled exclamation, "And we shall have our peace and my vengeance!"

"Not on my watch," said Todd coldly. He lifted himself away from the wall as he crouched, hearing his name being called by his friends and sister. "I did not ask to be used as your tool, or to take down Humans." He felt his heart beat slowly, feeling a strange feeling stir within him. "I will kill you, Arturo!" he growled as he adjusted his grip. "You deserve death as much as Asgore!"

"Very well, Todd," said Arturo in amusement, crouching as he readied his swing blade. "I accept your challenge. And just as you have watched almost all of your friends', _and_ sister, die before you…" Arturo let out a humourless laugh. "They will now watch as, I, Arturo, the Minder of the Royal Family, the Swing Blade of Might, the Captain of the Royal Guard, slaughter you before them!"

Todd hardened his eyes, telling himself that he had to end this Monster now before it ended him. He couldn't let himself die, or let this Monster wreck havoc in the world. He slipped in bullets before he readied his revolver again, giving a quick look to his friends' and sister's hearts that hovered barely on the ground. **'Everyone… I won't die. I will live, and take us all back to the Surface...'** Turning his gaze back, he glared intensely at the Monster. **'And make sure no one will ever come down here again!'**

A spurt of energy exploded him, making him let out a roar of fury as he ran towards the Monster. The Monster at once dipped his swing blade down, swinging it backwards after managing to catch Todd's feet below it, throwing Todd behind him. Todd let out a cry of pain when he landed roughly, trying to get up the best he could before aiming his revolver at Arturo's paws. He shot a bullet, missing and gave a curse.

"I knew you would turn on me when you discovered the truth," growled Arturo as he brought his swing blade up, jumping with the curved blade coming down towards Todd. Todd managed to roll away before he was beheaded, rolling more when Arturo continued to jab his swing blade down at Todd. "You always seemed like a oblivious Human child, needing someone to explain to you the answers that you failed to see with your very eyes…"

"Only because I needed help!" spat Todd, whipping his revolver up again, firing off another yellow bullet. Arturo merely swung his blade at it, deflecting the bullet again as he glared down at Todd, letting a growl rumble in his throat. "I thought you were different! I thought you wanted to end it all, to stop the New War-"

"I always wanted the New War, Todd!" snapped Arturo coldly, striking his blade into the ground, sending golden tiles flying at Todd. Todd pulled himself up, ducking behind the pillar and hearing the sickening smashes of the tiles becoming powder. "I once sought for peace, just like I had mentioned to you-" Without warning, Todd was struck in the stomach as Arturo whipped around the pillar with his swing blade. "If it weren't for the Old War that tore apart my life!"

After sliding across the ground for a while, Todd stopped nearby the two pillars over. "Wh-What are you-" Todd coughed as he got up, relieved that the armour protected him from the blunt of the attack. "Talking about!"

"There is a reason why I never wanted to be in the Old War, why I never wished it had happened!" roared Arturo as he stalked towards Todd in his lumber, his yellow eyes mere slits. "I would never be the Monster I am now if it had not happened!"

"And why's that!" shouted Todd, pushing himself against the pillar to get up again. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "If the Old War was that bad- if that's the reason why you're attacking me- tell me what the Old War did to make you this terrible!"

When Todd didn't get a response, his eyes widened as noticed that Arturo's weapon gradually became tainted in a brown hue, watching Arturo close his eyes. "Monsterkind, of the Arils… of the Arils… Heed my call, heed my call, as I, Arturo Aril, call upon the magic of my ancestors…" His yellow eyes started to glow. "I ask to cast the art that had been passed down to me, the almost extinct magic of the Arils-"

The dark brown haired boy took a step back, looking down at the ground then Arturo again as he thought, **'He's casting magic!?'** Todd always thought Arturo used brute strength over magic… but this magic didn't sound good.

"MODE OF THE QUAKE!" Arturo rammed the end of his blade into the ground. "BROWN MAGIC!"

Suddenly Todd felt strange, his vision blurred and as he took steps backwards, falling over the moment he felt the ground shift below him. He let out a cry, trying to get up, only to find the ground continued to shake below him.

"There is a reason, Todd," said Arturo coldly, and Todd tried to steady his footing from the constant trembling of the ground. "Unfortunately, there is a reason." His voice dipped into sadness, his voice choking up in anger as well, "If it were not for Asgore- I would not be living the shell of my life! The shell of what I used to be! We used to be best friends… even though I was only supposed to be his bodyguard." His breathing shook, soon being void of sadness as he roared furiously, "Yet he wormed his way into my life, and I let him! That was the first of the terrible mistakes that I have made in my life!"

As soon as Todd stopped moving, he noticed his vision and the ground became less shaky. But as soon as Todd took a slight step, the ground shook again, and he yelped when he fell down. The ground seemed to resonate more the moment Todd landed, making him grimace. **'I can't seem to move without the ground making it hard to!'** thought Todd in frustration. **'What's wrong with it!?'**

"If I had not maintained contact like I did, and just did my duties like the rest of the Arils, I would not have grown to rely on him as I have!" growled Arturo bitterly as he began to make his way towards Todd, and he didn't appear to be affected by the ground shaking. "He did not want to harm anyone, and taught me the way of MERCY… My parents never approved of an Aril who would not kill when required to, but I became that Aril. As well, the old King and Queen Dreemur did not agree that their son, Prince Asgore Dreemur, wanted nothing to do with killing as they liked. We were both fools in their eyes, but in our own, we were doing the right thing."

Just as Todd went still, finding that the ground had stopped shaking, Arturo slammed his swing blade into the ground, making the ground warp and dip down, waving up and down like disturbed water. Todd let out a yelp, but he quickly fired a shot at Arturo before he toppled over from being unbalanced.

"Try as you must to fight me, Todd, you will find it will be impossible to hit me when Brown Magic is in play," said Arturo evenly, his glowing eyes staring down at Todd. "It is the magic of the Arils, ancient magic that only one with the bloodline of Aril can muster on the field of battle. If you had expected Orange Magic or Light Blue Magic when you threw yourself at me... you are mistaken."

Instead of replying, Todd fired off another shot, only to watch irritably as Arturo batted it away with his blade.

"But when the old King and Queen had passed away, in the midst of the Old War…" Arturo dipped his head, frowning deeply. "The old King asked of Asgore to lead the Monsters to glory, a task that Asgore did not want to carry." He tightened his hold on his weapon, his bushy tail grew stiff. "But I still followed his lead, knowing as it was my duty to protect him. I had to protect him…" Arturo let a out an annoyed growl, "Because he had been my best friend."

With little warning, Arturo charged toward Todd, swinging his swing blade back and forth, making Todd leap and dodge the blows. Todd had to a couple of times use his revolver to block some of the blows, and when he knew he had an opening, Todd pulled the trigger to hit Arturo. In response, Arturo howled out in pain, promptly glaring down at Todd and struck him cleanly across the floor.

After recovering from the blow, Todd now noticed that the swing blade was becoming brown again. He widened his dark blue eyes in shock instantly. **'Wait- the ground didn't shake when he was using his weapon on me!'**

"Asgore should have ended the Old War peacefully from there…" As Arturo gripped his weapon harder, his wolf-like tail lashed furiously. "And if he did, we would not be in this mess… But that is not why I am fighting you now, Todd!" He trembled, curling his lip back before he went on bitterly, "It is because of those Humans!"

"What did they ever do to you!?" spat Todd as he regained his balance, trying his best to not move. "I know that they trapped you all down here, but-"

"They did more than that, Todd!" growled Arturo venomously, drawing out his words as though he was trying not to swallow something that would taste awful. "Humans can never be trusted, they will stab you in the back! But they did not simply stab my back…" Arturo's gaze grew darker, becoming pained as he choked out, "They stabbed into the back of my son!"

Todd widened his eyes as he stared at the Monster. **'Th-They killed your son!?'**

"...That is my grave mistake, not stopping the last of my family from being killed…" whispered Arturo shallowly, shaking as he lowered his head. "I always tried to raise Marco into accepting MERCY… but all he wanted to do was fight Humankind. He did not want to simply reach out a paw for peace as I did, he wanted to use his paw to take them down." Slowly he blinked, his tail drooping against the ground as his voice grew doleful. "If I had… i-if I had let him fight in the Old War, instead of trying to veer him out of it, I would not have lost him to those despicable Humans!"

For a while, Todd blinked at him, not knowing what to say to that.

"When the Humans stole away our children, Marco wished for us, the old Royal Guard, to outright kill the Humans and take them back," explained Arturo miserably, shaking as he continued, "But I reproached him of that, and that forced his paw into action that I did not foreknow. He gathered up his friends, and left in the middle of the night to storm the Human stronghold as their leader. I-I should have not said what I did to him, or I would not have had Asgore and the rest of the old Royal Guard follow me into the Human stronghold… where we found the Humans holding Marco at _sword point_ the moment we arrived.

"In order to free our children, in order for none of them to be harmed, Asgore had to declare Monsterkind's surrender to the Humans. And Asgore willingly gave his word…" Arturo clenched his paws, and his breathing became unsteady. "The Humans released our children, released all but one…" He slammed his swing blade into the ground, creating a wave of tiles to ripple towards Todd. "MARCO!"

Todd straightaway tried his best to stay clear of the incoming force of broken tiles, grimacing as his unstable footing made it nearly impossible to evade them.

When he managed to survive that attack, he slid his scowl towards Arturo who gave a harsh roar, "I saw the way they _smirked_ , how they _laughed_ , how they _mocked_ our kind nature-" With a growl, he spat bitterly, "They betrayed their word! And if it was not for Asgore holding me back, I would have ripped all seven of the Humans' throats out for doing that deed!"

Munching and gulping down the rock-like pear-fruit quickly, and reloading his revolver, Todd knew just from the way that Arturo was getting upset, a barrage of attacks would most likely follow. He steeled himself for when Arturo shifted his long-handled weapon, and Todd steadied his grip as he kept himself alert for any of those signs so he could at least stay alive for now.

"I remember how Asgore told me he would not take back his word- not allowing me to kill the one responsible of Marco's death- reminding me of how _honourable_ Monsterkind is…" hissed Arturo in frustration, clenching his eyes shut. "But he never knew the agony I felt the moment my son became dust that day! Even when we went Underground, forced there forever because of the magic the Humans had cast… I could never forgive Asgore for what he had done, nor could I forget what had perspired that day, Todd!"

Taking in a ragged breath, Arturo's yellow eyes opened as he stared at the ground. "I could not look at Asgore the same way again, even after year after year of that very day. The wound in my heart never healed, becoming a blister as I watched my fellow Monsters around me age while I did not." His bushy tail gave a lash. "No Monster could soothe my soul… Marco's death shattered me. I aimlessly protected Asgore as it was my duty as the Minder of the Royal Family, not knowing why I never quit when I felt I had no respect for Asgore to do so." He clenched his eyes, sighing. "But... I did what I could for Monsterkind, letting my life slip through my paws before me until the day the Human that Asgore adopted fell into the Underground..." His claws unsheathed immediately, and his intense gaze was set on Todd. "Who was accepted by all of Monsterkind, _all_ but me!" He drew his lips back as he snarled furiously, "I could not believe my fellow Monsters would let a mere Human worm into their hearts, when they knew all of what Humankind had cursed them with. But all I could do was watch the Human become the darling of the Underground…

"However, the day that the Human died was the day that sickened me the most," growled Arturo coldly. "When Prince Asriel returned to New Home, falling into dust onto a single Golden Flower… I could not help but know that Humans had never changed since the day my son was ripped from me. When Asgore told me of his plan to start the New War, I did not rejoice from hearing the news I yearned to receive years ago, I was furious of how much of a fool he was that he did not press for it the moment we were trapped in this _undercroft_!" He began to tremble. "I had been telling Asgore all these years that we should have been trying to break the Barrier, to lash out against our captors… And for it to happen when Asgore lost his own son… by the same beings that took my own… was _despicable_!"

Taking a step forward, Arturo snarled, "I _need_ the New War to happen, Todd! If it does not, I will not be able to do what my son wanted for us to do. My son wanted Humankind to die-" His eyes became slits. "So I will make ALL of them die!" Right away, he swung his swing blade towards Todd, bellowing on the top of his lungs, "With all of the Human SOULS I have collected these past few days!"

Immediately, Todd hardened his gaze, knowing now that Arturo had relieved all of his reasoning. There was no way of stopping him unless he became a mountain of dust.

The scruffy haired boy gritted his teeth, watching as Arturo charged towards him with a guttural snarl. Before Arturo could land a hit, Todd sent a flurry of four bullets the Monster's way, watching as they rebounded off of Arturo's armour while one of them managed to sink into Arturo's arm. Instead of crying out in pain, Arturo lunged low, sweeping the blade of his weapon towards Todd's legs and Todd sprung above it. Upon landing safely on the other side, Todd shot two more bullets, and smiled when they met their mark.

"And you were so clueless, Todd!" growled Arturo as he fell back into a guarded position, and Todd watched as the Monster's weapon resumed the brown hue. "No Human would want to talk about the sins of their past- I am certain that Humankind had thought we were gone for good!"

"The oldest people of our village always warned us to never go to the mountain, actually!" spat Todd as he tried to keep his footing still, focusing on the Monster as he fumbled to put more bullets into his revolver. "They told us it was dangerous, but we never knew why-"

"Why do you think they would never tell you about Monsterkind?" Arturo's throat rumbled as a growl tore out of it, "Humankind has always had cowardice! Even when they seem to be brave, they never have been seeing how they hid our existence from their descendants!" Taking another step forward, Arturo swung his blade, ramming the bottom into the ground and making it tremble terribly. "How they hid everything…" His eyes flashed yellow.

Todd widened his eyes as the whole floor began to dip and bounce, letting out a yelp as he became airborne before crashing into the ground. He tried to get up, only to find himself being tossed up and down by the animated floor like it was a hyper frying pan. After a long period of time that this continued, he became anxious the moment his weapon was separated from him when the floor promptly stopped flipping him around. As soon as the revolver hit the ruined floor, Todd couldn't help but freak out when Arturo stalked towards him, each step taken making the ground freeze in place before rattling once more.

"I have tried to look past what had happened, but the burning memory of my son's dust could never be smothered," growled Arturo as he raised his weapon. "It was hard enough enacting my ruse on you, Todd, when I could hardly keep my fury from brimming over!" He swung down the weapon, right towards Todd. "But now, everything has been planted for me to use, and I can have my New War!"

As Todd tried to roll away, he couldn't help but stop when the motion in his vision made him become disorientated, crying out when he was struck again.

"And your SOUL is one of the pieces I need to accomplish that, Todd!" growled Arturo with another swing, but Todd was ready this time in rolling away to reunite himself with his revolver so he could fire two shots back. As soon as he heard Arturo grunt in pain, Todd shakily got to his feet as he tried to stop himself from falling down. "If you had not fallen with the rest of the Human children, I might never have had the hope that I can right the wrong in Monsterkind's lives."

"But how is that right, Arturo!?" spat Todd angrily, swaying backwards and sidestepping precariously when Arturo swung his swing blade three times. Finally, Todd leapt back when a forceful jab nearly slid into his abdomen and landed to deliver another bullet at Arturo. "You may have lost your son, but that doesn't mean you have to kill the ones who weren't responsible for that-"

"Humankind has never changed, and I can see history repeating itself again!" Arturo paused, huffing heavily before his yellow eyes burned into Todd's. "Even now, I have seen the Dark Blue SOUL holder and _you_ demonstrate that to me!" He inhaled harshly before he spat with disgust, "Humans are cowards who would act upon their fears when faced with threats- Humans are greedy beings who take more than what they _deserve_ \- With twisted minds that are fueled by their thirst for power- for a way to stand above all so that they cannot be dethroned by those they walk over-" Arturo twirled his swing blade, soon running up to Todd as he roared, "Their power ever grows… through the _slaughter_ of _Monsterkind_!"

Whipping his revolver up and blocking the blows of the swing blade when it came, Todd growled incredulously, "How did I ever do that!? I never wanted to kill any Monster because I was scared, or because I wanted to be stronger-"

"You may not have in the beginning, but I have seen you latch onto that endeavor, Todd!" snapped Arturo as Todd pulled his revolver's trigger again, narrowing his eyes when Arturo swatted the bullet away and brought down his swing blade. Todd barely managed to dodge it as it abruptly became buried in the ruined floor. "You may not have done that in fear or for power, yes…" As soon as Arturo's head lifted, glaring furiously at Todd, he growled coldly, "But that does not mean you resisted the urge to kill my fellow Monsters!"

The scruffy haired boy went silent, shooting two more shots at Arturo, stinging the Monster's paws when he tried to pull out his swing blade. The Monster exclaimed in pain, growling out bitterly as his tugs became forceful, "The Monsters you killed… you wanted them to die! You cannot deny the truth that you went out to murder Carmel or Xander- and you even told me you killed Rover when all that he wanted was to talk to you!" After narrowing his eyes, Arturo clenched his paws around the handle of his weapon harder. "A Human can act recklessly when their mind is clouded with grief, when their vision is hazy from rage-"

"I did it for my sister!" spat Todd as he tried to cram in as many bullets as he could, knowing that Arturo seemed to be struggling with freeing his swing blade from the floor. "I did it for my friends!" After rolling around the chambers, he raised his revolver, heavily breathing in and out as he yelled out harshly, "Everything that has happened to me down here was a nightmare! There's no room for dreaming- no room for hopes-" Resting his thumb on his revolver, he right away fired his revolver wildly. "Because this place has Monsters, Monsters who are absolute animals that want to kill us!"

The bear wolf hybrid growled out in pain, heaving out his swing blade finally after the sixth shot hit him. He began to stomp towards Todd, breathing heavily as he snarled, "You may call us animals, but we have lives as you Humans do! Yet the Humans before you killed us with no sense of MERCY, stomping down on our existence as though we were _flies_!" With a guttural roar, he jabbed his swing blade at Todd again, "They attacked us knowing that we never wanted to hurt them!"

Todd leapt back the best he could, ducking and darting out of the way of Arturo's wild strikes. At one point, Todd pulled out his revolver when he had a chance to shoot the Monster, only to discover that the revolving chambers on his gun were empty from his earlier assault on Arturo. He tried to fish out bullets, plopping them in precariously, dropping some when he had to dodge. He was only able to drink three quarters of the whole canister of Paste Shake before dropping it from how ruthless Arturo's attacks were... having no choice to abandon it when it seemed like Arturo wasn't letting up.

And after a long period of constant combat, Todd found that he was growing tired…

Panting as he tried to keep his hold on his revolver, Todd stared at Arturo when the Monster stopped throwing blows at him. "If the Humans had honoured their word that day…" Arturo paused, breathing heavily as his stance faltered slightly. "I may be facing you now for a different reason..." Todd grimaced, slipping some more bullets in as Arturo went on, "I may still have stayed true to whom I had been, not wanting blood or dust being spilled… stopping Asgore for the reason that I truly did not want the New War to happen. Marco may have been still alive, having a family of his own while I myself would have become brittle from my age." His voice sounded like a sob was trapped in it, and Todd saw Arturo's eyes glitter, not from anger but from sadness. "We may have killed Asgore by now, and I could have killed you so you would not have returned to the Surface… seeing how unstable you would become from killing Asgore."

Suddenly, in the glow of the sunlight, Todd noticed white flecks fluttering in the air… from Arturo.

"I-I…" Arturo coughed dryly, grimacing as he growled, "I only could hope that I could fulfill Marco's wish to some degree… I know that Monsters will die when the New War happens, but if we could take down at least a _few_ Humans…" He grinned as his eyes became wide, and Todd was spooked by the way they seemed… crazy. "It would make me happy that I did what my son wanted me to do back then. I have no clue what will happen when the Human that stops me does so, but I can only hope that Marco will be waiting for me… not angry or terrified like the last few times I saw him... but proud of me."

Glinting steaks were created from the few tears that slid down Arturo's face. "I only wanted the best for my son, but I did the w-worst instead."

Todd scowled and shook his head at the Captain of the Royal Guard, feeling his heart beat wildly as he raised his revolver. "You really are insane."

"You would think that, w-would you not?" asked Arturo bitterly. "I would think, _you_ are insane as well, Todd." Arturo chuckled. "We are similar, and you cannot deny it. You killed to avenge your sister, _and_ your friends..." Arturo started lumbering towards Todd, tottering as his breathing became shaky and labored. "We both killed for what we _thought_ was right. Some may scorn us for what we have done to drag ourselves to where we are now… but, that does not mean we were wrong. Our lives are nightmares, and to drown them out is to shatter our morals to quell the screaming the past utters to daunt our every move and thought." With another chuckle, Arturo grinned painfully. "We might as well plunge ourselves into the depths of insanity, go to the extreme knowing there is nothing more that we can do to remedy how we still exist today." Arturo's eyes closed. "A-After all, we are l-lost souls…"

The dark blue-eyed boy shook his head, glaring hard at the Monster. "You're wrong… I am not lost, I know what I have to do in order for my life to go back to normal."

"But it will n-never be normal, Todd," replied Arturo coldly, letting out a raspy cough. "N-Not when you do not u-understand there is no return for y-you..."

"I _will_ return!" spat Todd as he readied his revolver, scanning the Monster for any weak points on his body. "I will kill you _and_ Asgore-"

"No, there _is_ no r-return!" growled Arturo harshly, coughing hard before he hissed, "N-Not when you kill me- _or_ Asgore… B-Because there is nothing left for you, Todd, the moment our dust falls-"

A bang filled the hall.

Arturo's swing blade was released when he fell to his knees, leaning over Todd as his yellow gaze became fixed upon seemingly nothing. Todd merely glared at the Monster, stepping back as he watched the Monster's body began to disintegrate into dust. After a few seconds of watching the Monster dying, Todd snorted, turning away to dart towards his friends and sister.

He fell to his knees, panting as he released his revolver, and gathered the differently coloured hearts towards him. "Guys… it's me," he whispered gently.

"Todd…"

"Yes, Archie, it's me!" he chirped as the orange heart hummed against his hand. "I did it! I killed the Monster who killed Edgar and Marley!"

As he began to feel heat behind his eyes, Todd let his tears fall down his cheeks as he choked out, "I've missed you all! It sure is great to be with you again! But we'll have plenty of time to be together when we leave the Underground, just what we wanted to do when we woke up from where we fell down!"

He beamed when he spotted his sister's SOUL, ecstatic as he heard her quiet voice. "Big Brother…"

"I'm here, Winnie…" he murmured gleefully as her green SOUL hovered nearby his heart. "I'm here just like you wanted me to be! I may not have stayed with you the whole time, but I'm never leaving you again!" For a moment, he brushed his hand against her SOUL, soon bringing her close, along with the others, to give them a hug. "I will make sure none of us will split up again," he said warmly. "We did too much of that down here, didn't we? But we won't do that again. Never, ever, again…" He grinned wider. "I just need to kill Asgore, then everything will be okay!"

Todd expected them to respond to that, yet he received silence.

"Once he's gone, we can all go home!" piped Todd cheerfully. "And no one can stop us from going to the Surface, guys!"

"No…"

Todd blinked, gazing at the orange SOUL. "What do you mean, Archie?"

"You can't, Todd."

"But I have to," chuckled Todd lightheartedly with a shake of his head. "How else can we get out of here, Archie?"

"Don't do it…" Angie's strained voice called out to him. "Please, Todd… no."

"If you think I'm too injured to fight, I'm not, Angie," replied Todd confidently, smiling as he nodded. "I feel ready, and I don't want to wait this out."

"Stop. Don't even… do it."

Todd frowned, blinking in confusion until he located the purple heart… He faintly recalled Arturo mentioning that Edgar's SOUL was purple, so he gazed at it with a frown as he spoke, "Wait, what do you mean, Edgar?"

It was few seconds before Edgar's voice rang. "Todd… you need to stop. I… know you want this… but stop as of right now... before it's too late."

"I don't understand," said Todd quietly, screwing up his expression. Of course, Todd really didn't understand. If they were to go home, he had to take down the last obstacle that stood in his way. So he stared at the SOUL he assumed was Edgar, soon speaking as he furrowed his eyebrows, "I mean, Asgore's the only Monster that's in the way of keeping us from getting home, so I need to get rid of him if we're ever going to get out of here."

"No, you need to stop!" Angie's voice rose at once. "You can't continue this!"

"But I have to!" he shouted in frustration. "I need to!" He clenched his fists. "This is for you guys!"

"Then do it!" Marley's shrill voice deafened Archie's, Angie's, and Edgar's protests. "Fucking do it now before that monster returns, Todd! You have that gun with you… so why don't you put it to damn good use!?"

"Of course I will, Marley," said Todd, giving a curt nod to the Dark Blue SOUL that vibrated madly against his right hand.

"Kill not just that one, kill all of them for what they fucking did to us!"

"But I can't do that!" protested Todd in alarm. "Asgore's the only Monster left who's responsible for your deaths, and I just need to kill him for all of you!" When Marley gave a growl at that, he went on boldly, "The other Monsters weren't a part of your deaths, I need to leave those ones alo-"

He blinked, now aware of pain gripping his heart. " _Ngh_..." He grimaced, biting his lip as a cry of agony tore out from throat.

"Todd!"

"Big Brother!"

Todd didn't understand what was going on at first, but when he slowly turned to the mountain of dust that replaced Arturo, he spotted an upside down grey heart that was trembling madly in the air. Todd gritted his teeth, standing up stiffly as he slapped his hand to where his heart was. **'Is that- Is that Arturo's SOUL!?'** His dark blue eyes widened.

"Get away!" shouted Edgar through a strained voice. "Todd, just get away… before it's too late!"

Todd flinched suddenly the moment the SOUL broke apart. Its shattered pieces flew in different directions until gliding through the air gradually, soon becoming suspended. **'But… I didn't see the other Monsters' SOULs? Was… was Arturo strong enough for his SOUL to be visible!?'**

"Run!" shouted Edgar. "Run, Todd, _run_!"

Without warning, the particles resumed their movement… hurling towards Todd.

Todd at once stepped backwards in alarm, hearing Edgar yell at him to run… but he just didn't understand why he should. If he absorbed Arturo's SOUL now… he could become stronger and kill Asgore easier than before. But before he could tell Edgar that, he exclaimed in agony again as a stronger than before throb filled his heart, rapidly becoming unbearable as the particles fed into his chest. He placed his hands on his chest, clenching his eyes shut as the pain continued, almost seeming like there was no way the pain would never become numb as he heard everyone crying out his name as a scream tore out of his throat…

Then the pain ceased.

For a long time, Todd waited, wondering dizzily if the pain would start up again. He stood stiffly, feeling his heart beat madly… but the distress he felt moments ago had vanished. He opened his eyes, his vision blurring and shifting for a long time. The moment he blinked, he could see clearly again, and he focused on the fact that the only things in the long hall was himself, his revolver, the remains of Arturo, and his friends' and sister's SOULs.

He frowned, hearing his name being called, then slowly walked towards his friends and sister. He stared at Edgar's SOUL when he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Edgar's voice did not answer him.

As Todd's gaze shifted to the other hearts, he spoke coldly, "What's wrong with _all_ of you? I just absorbed Arturo's SOUL, and you're acting like it's a bad thing!" When they did not speak, he glared at them. "I absorbed his SOUL, and I became stronger! Don't you realize what this means!? I have a better chance at killing Asgore now, but you-" He pointed at Edgar angrily. " _You_ were trying to sabotage us from escaping, _Edgar_!"

"Todd, _stop_!"

"No, I won't stop!" spat Todd harshly as he clenched his fists. "There's no reason to stop! I just need to kill Asgore for all of you, and then we can go home!"

"Don't do it!"

" _No_ , I have to end this!" Todd snapped to Angie angrily, glaring at her SOUL now. "That Monster caused all of you to die, and I'm going to be the one that ends him! I don't know why you don't want him dead, but I have to kill Asgore!"

"...Big Brother…"

" _What_!?" Todd's glare at once dropped when he realized it was Winnie who had spoken, but he didn't try to make his tone less angry when he addressed her. "What is it, Winnie?"

"…Why…?"

"I just told you, Winnie!" spat Todd as he let out a growl, shaking his head. "That Monster need to die, alright!?"

"...You're not…"

"I'm not _what_!?" asked Todd angrily, narrowing his eyes at the green SOUL.

"…Y-You're not… my big brother."

Immediately, Todd froze, feeling traces of hurt in him, but it was shrouded in seconds by the spike of anger that sliced through him.

"I _am_ your big brother!" he snapped furiously. "How could you say such a thing, _Winnie_!?"

Winnie's voice went silent before a tearful squeak came, "…H-He's a good person… My big brother is a good person, not a bad one!"

"I'm not _bad_!" protested Todd loudly, narrowing his eyes to slits when he breathed unsteadily. "How can I be bad when I've risked my whole damn time down here, after you died, Winnie, killing the Monsters that murdered you!" He edged back, glaring at the hearts. "In fact, I've been trying to make things right after _all_ of you died! I killed _Rover_ \- I killed _Carmel_ and _Xander_ \- I killed the Monster that killed you _two_!" He pointed at the purple and dark blue SOULs. "And _now_ I have to kill the Monster that made that fucking stupid _Royal_ _Guard_ , and this has all been for _all_ of _you_!"

Before he knew it, he scooped up his revolver from the floor, huffing and puffing as he shouted harshly, "This was for you guys! This was for all of you guys this _whole time_ , so how can you be so _ungrateful_ towards _me_!?"

"Stop, Todd!" Edgar yelled.

" _No_!" He gritted his teeth as he roared shrilly on the top of his lungs, "I won't stop until he's DEAD!"

Booms filled the air as bullets flew from his revolver, and Todd shouted as he aimed his gun the best he could, "I need him to _die_ \- don't you know what he's done to all of us these last few _days_!?" Todd reloaded his revolver before he fired more, furious when none of them hit any of the SOULs. "I'm the only one left who can get us out of here- I'm the only one who's been trying to take revenge on the Monsters who killed you guys- and you don't want me to finish the _job_!?" As he fired more bullets after needing to reload and reload again, he shouted as loud as he possibly could, "How selfish _are_ you guys!?"

Suddenly, the wind was sucked out of him as he was bowled over.

After he tumbled roughly to the ground, feeling his revolver fall from his grasp, he angrily lifted his head, glaring at the king of Monsters.

"What do you think you are doing, Human?" asked Asgore coldly, stepping in front of the SOULs as his scowl was set on Todd.

"I am trying to explain to my friends and sister how horrible they are being towards me after what I've done for them!" retorted Todd as he propped himself up with his elbows. "Stay out of this!"

"What were you fighting for?" asked Asgore with a frown. "What were you fighting for that you were shooting at your close ones, Human?"

With a growl, Todd growled, "I was-" His voice died when he thought about it. "I was…" He frowned before snarling, "I was fighting to take down the Monsters!"

"No, what were you truly fighting for?"

"I just told you!" spat Todd in ill-temper, wondering if the Monster didn't understand him. "I had to kill the Monsters for them, but they don't seem to understand that I had to do it for them!"

"But other than that, what were you fighting for?" The bipedal goat in gleaming gold armour stared at him with an unreadable expression. "There is no reason that you were fighting because you wanted to kill Monsters, there had to be another reason that you did." After a few seconds, Asgore spoke again, "What I mean to say is… who are you, Human?"

Todd opened his mouth, soon closing it. **'What does he mean by that?'** he thought in annoyance.

"I know that you are a Human, but who are you?" Asgore's gaze was firm as he held it with Todd's dark blue eyes. "I have only seen that you want to kill me because I made the Royal Guard, who killed your friends and sister for me… But, I do not certainly know what other reason you had." After inhaling, Asgore blinked. "Therefore… who are you, Human? Could you tell me that?"

The dark brown haired boy glared at Asgore, thinking about the question for a while. Then with a grimace, he simply snapped, "Why should I answer when that question is _pointless_!?"

"It is not pointless, Human," said Asgore seriously, frowning as he went on, "I just want to know who you are, but clearly…" His eyes closed. "You do not know."

"I know who I am!" shouted Todd harshly, narrowing his eyes to the point that they became slits. "I am the one who will kill you! I am the one who you tortured by making your stupid kingdom of Monsters kill my friends and sister! I am the one who you are asking such a stupid question to right now!"

"No, I will tell you who you are, Human." With a shake of his head, Asgore opened his stern eyes. "You are a Human who has lost his humanity."

"What do you mean by that!?" snapped Todd furiously as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.

"…I know that is what you are, because you have clearly lost sight of that," explained the king of Monsters slowly, frowning as he gestured behind himself. "No Human would turn on his own family or friends, and if one has… they clearly have no clue what they are fighting for. Only one who has lost sight of themselves does not know how to answer the question of who they are."

"Shut up, I know who I am!" spat Todd indignantly as he pointed his revolver at the Monster. "You can't tell me that!"

"Then tell me who you are, other than what your name is, Todd."

"I am-" Todd cut himself off abruptly then snorted, shaking his head. "This is stupid!"

"No, you are finding the question unanswerable because you do not know who you are anymore," replied Asgore sadly. "Just from seeing you now… you have lost more than what you are. You have become something that had aimlessly wandered to this corridor."

"I know what I came here for!" protested Todd shrilly. "You can't tell me that!"

"Todd, clearly if you do not know who you are, I cannot allow you to go back to the Surface as you are now."

With a furious yell, Todd roared at the Monster, "I will go back to the Surface, and you _can't_ _stop_ _me_!" Right away he pushed hard on his feet, running straight towards Asgore. " _Not_ when you're _dead_!"

At once, Asgore fell into a crouch, scowling at Todd as he tried to pull the trigger of his gun, but Asgore's trident slashed at his armour, making Todd cry out when he was knocked down. He was dazed for a few seconds before he rolled out of the way of Asgore's trident, getting up again as he felt his amour shift on his body. He looked down, noticing how the breastplate was sliding off his body, and grimaced. **'Dammit... he broke it.'**

"Can you not see that you have no reason to fight me?" asked Asgore boldly, scowling at Todd.

" _Shut up_!" spat Todd, raising his revolver again. " _I do_!"

As soon as Todd was pulling the trigger, he cried out when his hands were struck… before an intense amount of pain filled his stomach, causing him to screech shrilly. Immediately, he fell over, dropping his gun to press his hands to his stomach, widening his eyes at the sight of his own blood. **'No!'** he thought in horror as he noticed his own bullet lodged in his body. **'I can't believe he made me shoot myself!'**

Trying to refocus, he knew regardless of this wound, he had to shoot the Monster before it was too late.

Despite the pain that pooled from his self-inflicted wound, he brought his blood covered hands down onto the handle of his revolver. He coughed and winced from the pain he felt as he brought it up and clenched the trigger, only to feel it click effortlessly against his slick, red thumb. Immediately, he shoved his hand into his ammunition pouch, widening his eyes when his hand patted the rough material of the pouch instead. He wildly searched it, only to give a cry of anger. **'Wh-Where's my bullets!?'** After a few moments of searching the pouch, trying to ignore the intense pain from his punctured stomach, he started to hyperventilate. **'I-I… I ran out of bullets!? NO! I couldn't have! I had plenty of bullets, I couldn't have used** _ **all**_ ** _of_ _them_!'**

Edging backwards, he glared at Asgore as the Monster spoke coolly, "It would appear as though you cannot fight anymore."

" _Shut up_ , you made me shoot myself!" snapped Todd furiously before feeling lightheaded, only having moments before he was aware that he had toppled to the ground from another dizzy spell. As he glared at the Monster, pressing his hands to his bleeding wound at once, he snarled harshly, "You should've been the one to take that bullet! You should be dying right now for what you have done to _me_!"

Asgore merely stared down at him, making Todd more frustrated as he hissed, "I hate you, _I_ _hate you_ for what you've done to us! And I don't care if you don't think that you killed us, I want you _dead_!" Right away, he reached for his revolver again, knowing that the only thing he could do right now was use it to club Asgore to death… but Asgore kicked the revolver out of Todd's reach, stepping back to stare down at Todd again.

Todd whipped his head up, feeling dizzy again as he leered at the Monster and hissed, "How did you really think a war against Humans would help you _disgusting_ _Monsters_!? Are you really that _stupid_!?" After a few seconds, Todd went on bitterly, "If you hadn't called upon starting up a new war, all of my friends and my sister would be _alive_! But you did it _anyway_!"

"…I did it because I was angry, Human," said Asgore quietly. "I-"

"D-Do you really think I care about that!?" roared Todd in a strained voice as he gritted his teeth, trying to get up to strangle the Monster only to fall forward when he lost his balance. He right away tried to press his hands to his wound, finding it hard to move them and breathe as he glared at the Monster more. "N- _No_ , _I don't_! You should die for what you've _d_ - _done_... I want that _m_ - _more_ than anything r-right n-now!"

His vision swam again, and he pressed his eyes closed as he hissed out, "C-Can't you see… how much more pain you've caused…?" Slowly he felt himself slump onto the ground, feeling his warm blood splash against him. "Y-You… you really are an idiot… aren't you?"

As he received silence from the Monster, Todd oddly felt weak and tired. He opened his dark blue eyes again, but it was hard to focus on anything from how blurry and bright his surroundings were. He grimaced, breathing hard as his stomach throbbed horribly. "A-A b-big, f-fat… i- _idiot_ … H-How do the Monsters… even w-want you as their k-king… k-knowing how dumb you are…?"

Faintly he heard his name being called by several people, but he ignored them as he went on, "You're an id-idiot… and a m-murderer… y-you know that?" As he was about to say more, his voice died as his head rested down into his puddle of blood. As much as he tried to raise it again, he felt like his whole body became cement for some reason. He attempted to speak again, but could only rasp out tiny puffs of air while blood splashed into his mouth.

His vision became darker and brighter, he couldn't decide which one it was or whether or not if he was breathing anymore… He tried to figure out what was going on around him when he heard something quiet among the sounds that were deafening around him.

"B-Big B-Broth…"

* * *

Todd couldn't feel or see anything but the darkness around him. He could hear warbled noises... yet he couldn't pick out a particular word from it.

Without warning, searing pain sliced through him, and he wanted to scream... but he felt like his vocal cords were severed. Slowly he felt weaker; he tried to cling to the strength he had left, yet he couldn't do anything other than let the agony consume him...

* * *

 **The end…**

 **I hope you enjoyed the story! =3**

 **…**

 **EeveeGen9988: "Hello, sorry if this is very, very, _very_ late! *hangs head* Writing and editing this chapter was the hardest to do out of all 5 parts of _The Fallen_... but now it's live and this story is done! *gives thumbs (paws) up and grins*  
**

 **I want to thank Chronic Guardian, Aviantei, and Hyoxjnn for encouraging me as I wrote each chapter, helping me to stay Determined throughout all the hardship I went through writing and editing _The Fallen_ as well as their reviews! (And the other people who have reviewed, thank you as well! =D)**

 **Thus, this marks the end of my [Shibuya Operation Story Storm] project! Thank you for reading my story, I really hope you enjoyed this! =D**

 ***all of the confetti from Part 1 has been cleared away as well, leaving EeveeGen9988 to not have to worry about cleaning up the mess she made earlier*"**

 **…**

 **~ Final Item Check ~  
**

 **\- Fizzle Fruit: a pear-like fruit that looks like a painted rock… but its not as hard to eat. Heals 7 HP.**

 **\- Paste Shake: a milkshake that is trending in Hotland right now… container says to shake well or you won't feel well. Heals 10 HP.**

 **-** **Half-Eaten Hotland Gumbo: it may look like vomit chow... but it was not, surprisingly enough. Heals 6 HP.**

 **\- Royal Guard Armour: Has the disgusting stench of Monsters… Todd can't wait to take it off. Increases Defense by 20.  
**

 **\- Ammunition Pouch (61): Holds the bullets that Todd wants to use to make Monsters die… it doesn't matter how many he uses.**

 **Empty Pouch: Holds nothing useful anymore… it might as well be thrown away.**

* * *

 **~ Fun facts about the chapter's development! ~  
**

 **\- The original name of the chapter was going to be 'The End of the Underground' _but_ from a review I received earlier on, I heard of 'the Castle' and I just loved the idea of using that as the name of the last chapter instead! Thank you for mentioning 'the Castle', Aviantei! =D**

 **\- Originally, the end of Part 4 was going to be what you saw for the beginning of Part 5 where Todd and Arturo were going to leave the True Lab and end off at the point where Todd and Arturo finish their discussion of how Arturo feels he'll sever the connection between Humans and Monsters when Todd leaves with his friends' and sister's SOULs and exits the elevator and goes to the next elevator. But, I felt as though the end where Todd agrees to join up with Arturo to take down Asgore so that they can bring peace to Monsters and Humans would be the best place to end Part 4... So that's why the original end of Part 4 became the beginning of Part 5.**

 **\- Todd was going to ask about the brand on Arturo's swing blade, and Arturo would have explained the history of Arils and their relationship to the Royal Family more... but I already did that in Part 4, so I only had Todd briefly notice the branding on Arturo's swing blade.**

 **\- Arturo's pouch when talked about was where I would have had Arturo tell Todd that his parents dust was in the pouch instead of his spouse's... but that would technically be sort of gruesome if you think about the fact that Arturo would consider putting both his parents' dust in one pouch and quite frankly I think Monsters would find that to be disrespectful and disgusting. Thus, his spouse's dust was inserted instead of Arturo's parents' dust.**

 **\- The way that Arturo gained Todd's trust could have gone in different ways. For example, the first idea was for Arturo to say that he was the Captain of the Royal Guard but was willing to help Todd... (but that doesn't sound good to have if you want someone to trust you who's had their close ones killed by the the group of Monsters you're in charge of leading). The second idea was for Arturo to later on reveal he was the Captain of the Royal Guard much later in Part 4 once Todd trusts him, but that still doesn't sound trustworthy. The third idea was for him to say he had a brother who was the Captain of the Royal Guard and he didn't want his brother to kill the final Human while explaining that he and his brother were identical twins, but then that wouldn't have worked because other Monsters wouldn't mention Arturo is the brother of the Captain of the Royal Guard or Arturo's brother and that would make Todd suspicious. The forth idea would have been that Arturo tells Todd that he's a Royal Guard member the moment Todd first wakes up in True Lab but Todd isn't told what rank Arturo has, but Todd wouldn't trust Arturo knowing that. Therefore, the last idea was having Arturo not tell Todd that he's a Royal Guard member then say that he is a Royal Guard member when Todd finds out and tell Todd upfront that he would have killed Todd sooner if he wanted to kill him would be the best option because Todd would have realized that Arturo didn't kill him yet so that meant Arturo wasn't his enemy but an ally (and everything else that has happened in Part 4 and 5)! =D  
**

 **\- Originally in Part 4, Flowey was going to have been the one who saved Todd, convincing him that he had to kill Monsters and there would have been an epic training montage with Flowey and Todd... And Flowey would be using Determination to stop Todd from dying... and Todd would have been confused about the warnings Flowey would be telling him because I wouldn't want to write all the scenes where Todd dies then appears back in a scene from earlier while remembering nothing about all the death experiences. The reason that was changed was because the six children had recently fallen down so there would be no one else who had fallen before and had their Determination extracted and injected into Flowey... So, I wanted to make it so this story fit with canon!**

 **\- The fight scene with Asgore and the fight scene with Arturo would have occurred in the Throne Room... but I felt the space would have been too small and we wouldn't want all the Golden Flowers to be trampled from all the attacks and magic going on during the fight. Thus- I felt the need for the Final Corridor to be the place for combat, plus no Golden Flowers would be harmed. As well, Asgore would be happier that he didn't have any of his precious Golden Flowers harmed... that would break his heart! =3**

 **\- When Arturo asks Todd to step on the Golden Flowers... I sort of remembered after a while that Reno from Final Fantasy 7 sort of asked Shinra Soldiers to not step on Aeris' or Aerith's flowers. I found that to be funny... heh. Just a funny tidbit, that's all... =D**

 **\- I was going to have the Final Corridor be silver instead of gold, y'know, to show the time difference between _The Fallen_ and _Undertale_... but after a while I felt the grey hallways were dull and boring enough so why should there be a silver hallway? *shrugs***

 **\- From talking to someone about Arturo after Part 4 went live, the ideas presented from their perspective sort of made me question Arturo's real motivations that I wanted to put in for Part 5. When I thought about it, Arturo's character could have actually been not a vengeful Monster but a pacifist like I made him out to be in Part 4. The motivation for him to kill Todd and the last battle could have taken a total flip if I had chosen to alter Arturo's intentions. For all we know, Arturo could have really been a pacifist all the way through despite the war, not loathing humanity but instead feeling extreme guilt over his son's death instead of both. He could have been trying to kill Todd because he felt it was his duty to amend how he drove his son to his death by enacting what his son wanted, not for revenge but feeling the obligation that it was what his son wanted. In a sense, he would have been deranged and have a vibe of 'being trapped in the past' sort of thing. Or, it could have been that he felt the need to kill Todd because he knew Todd would probably escape and inform his village about the Monsters and didn't want that to happen so he felt the need to stop Todd... So, in the end, instead of the 'wracked with guilt but had to do what his son wanted because he felt it was his obligation now' parent Arturo was more of the 'wracked with guilt and hatred at what the Humans had done and feels he should have done what his son wanted him to do so he's now going to do what his son wanted because he made the mistake of not doing that and wants all the Humans to be dead' parent. Well, either way, I think I sorted out what I believed to be the best motivation for Arturo. And in the end, the whole chapter would have been drastically different depending on what motivation I had chosen for Arturo.**

 **\- The ending scene/ epilogue of _The Fallen_ would have gone in different ways. One would have been Asgore telling his Royal Guard members to retrieve the corpses of the fallen children so they could have a proper burial, another would have been the birth of Flowey, another would have been Alphys extracting and making notes about the different SOULs' Determination and using Todd's Determination (which was different to the other Determination that was extracted except his was similar to Marley's Determination) on the flower that would be Flowey then making a note that Flowey was gone, and the other one I didn't use was Frisk's fall into the Underground... But I wanted the ending scene/ epilogue be entirely in and end with Todd's point of view, just like how throughout the whole story it was Todd's point of view.  
**

 **\- I was going to add an extra for Edgar's notebook... but I scrapped it due to reasons that the information would have been repetitive of the whole story and it would have taken forever to do... Plus, the notebook is now illegible... I can't mess with that canon.**

* * *

 **~ Reader Requests ~  
**

 **Chronic Guardian's Questions:**

 **"What actually happened to the Canine Unit?"**

It's as Arturo said, they were wiped out. They're _dead_. =D

 **"Did Marley take 'em out?" "If so, how?"**

Yes, yes she did, CG. As the wielder of Dark Blue SOUL, her SOUL MODE (meaning: attack mode or movement) is gravity based so she has to leap around. And from her ballet slippers' description and use, we can only assume that Marley kicked the Royal Guard Members to death.

 **"Did she dance them to death with enormous amounts of glamour?"**

There was no Death by Glamour, leave that to Mettaton EX. ***Mettaton pops in: "Oh _yes_!"***

Anyway, she gracefully killed them, slowly making each and every death more brutal each time one fell. She's not going to make a show out of death! ;3

 **"Is that why a certain scientist got the idea to weaponize the form?"**

I'm not sure which scientist you're talking about, but I will refer to Alphys for this. (and if this still isn't the scientist, let me know and I'll retry to answer the question)

I'm not quite sure, but Alphys wasn't the Royal Scientist at the time. So, since she wasn't present during this time, she honestly wouldn't have seen this. So personally, I think it's coincidental that Marley and Mettaton both were sound dancers. But, she may have read reports from another scientist about Humans who had Dark Blue SOULs and based it off that or studied Marley's SOUL in her lab.

 **"Is Angie's sibling Frisk?"**

Well, no. I feel as though that if Frisk was Angie's sibling, they would have recognized their toy knife that Angie took from them in Undertale. If you look closely at the flavour text, Frisk doesn't make any comments about the Toy Knife any differently than other objects. If they had a certain attachment, they would have indicated it.

As well, this story takes place ( _maybe_ …?) 30 years before Undertale in my mind. So, by then, Angie's little brother would be all grown up and gotten over Angie's disappearance. So therefore, I feel as though Frisk wouldn't have been born yet. Plus, I don't feel like assigning Frisk a gender at this point in time, mainly to line it up with canon.

 **"If not, what purpose does that character serve?"**

 ***EeveeGen9988 backs away slowly*** Uh... well... you see... ***rubs back of neck sheepishly and backs away into tallgrass***

 ***from the tallgrass, you can still hear EeveeGen9988*** Motivation on Angie's part to go out to find and have the Toy Knife? Err... wait a minute? What's wrong with Angie having a little brother? I mean, I felt like Angie should have a sibling. Nothing wrong with that... ***shrugs***

 **…**

 **Aviantei's Requests/ Questions:**

 **\- A Rover Backstory -**

Ever since Rover was a little pup, he always never seemed to take things seriously. As much as he tried, he was always a goof when dealing with staid matters. It honestly made his parents annoyed with him and favored his mature sister instead, but Rover hardly had a problem with that… except the day when his parents made it clear that they were ashamed of him.

For a long time, Rover struggled to understand why his parents were not proud of him, but never voiced those insecurities to anyone. He would often play with the other Monster children in Snowdin that he got along with, as well as with his sister who never treated him differently, but the hurt he felt from knowing that his parents hated him made it hard to enjoy his life. But despite how miserable he was on the inside, he always tried to keep up his happy-go-lucky attitude towards life.

One day, his sister announced she was going to try to join the Royal Guard and become a part of the Canine Unit, so Rover thought it sounded cool so he also announced he would join it as well much to everyone's shock. His parents never believed him, seeing as he always had been a goof. And despite how he wasn't overly serious about committing to it originally, he went through with it hoping to prove his parents wrong as well as have them become proud of him just like they were with his sister. He wanted nothing more than that…

But halfway through his training, his parents passed away. It filled him with so much grief, but all he could do to cope was to be the goof he had always been, seeing how that was only way he could deal with serious matters. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't hide it from his sister in the end. After talking about the feelings he had been hiding all these years and how much he wanted to make his parents proud of him but couldn't now with his sister, his sister let him know that he still had her and was always proud of him, which helped him to eventually get over his parents deaths.

Even though he could never have the chance to make his parents proud of him, he still trained to become a Royal Guard member, not to impress anyone but to spend time with his sister who always cherished and believed in him for who he was the whole time. Plus, it seemed like a fun idea, seeing how he could do it with his sister.

…However, he still couldn't help but regret not making his parents proud of him before they died...

 **- _The Fallen_ Corresponding Chronologically to the War Against Humans and Monsters -**

 **War Against Monsters and Humans** happens **? years** before **201X**.

 **Asriel's death** happened **? years** after **201X**.

 _The Fallen_ happens a few months after **Asriel's death** , and happens over the course of **four and a half days** :

 **\- Night 1: Part 1**

 **\- Day 1/Night 2: Part 1**

 **\- Day 2/Night 3: Part 2 - Part 3**

 **\- Day 3: Part 3 - Part 4**

 **\- Night 4: Part 4**

 **\- Day 4: Part 4**

 **\- Night 5: Part 4**

 **\- Day 5: Part 5**

 _Undertale_ happens around **15 - 30 years** or so after _The Fallen_.

 **\- How/If Toriel Finds Out What Happens To The Children -**

Toriel definitely finds out what happens to the children. I'm pretty sure that Sans told her that Asgore has six Human SOULs at the current moment, but she wasn't told how they died exactly… So she probably imagined a certain Monster killed them or the Royal Guard did all the effort in taking the fallen children's lives...

 **…**

 **Hyoxjnn's Requests:**

 **~ Name, age, birthday, gender, hobbies, bio, skills, trivia of characters ~**

 **-** **Angie Evans** **-**

 **Age:** 11

 **Birthday:** January 15th, a few years before 201X.

 **Gender:** Female

 **Hobbies:** Stargazing, thumb-wrestling, play-fighting, reading, fishing, chess, exercising, and doing puzzles.

 **Bio:** When Angie was younger, she hardly was annoyed with her little brother, and spent a lot of days playing with him until she met Todd and the rest of her friends. At first, her brother constantly tried to stop her from going, however Angie's mother always stopped him so that Angie could have time with her friends. In the end, her little brother when he was old enough to go outside on his own started to try to spy on Angie and her friends, often trying to tell on Angie for the activities they did due to his frustration that she wouldn't play with him like she used to. After a long time of being put through her brother ruining her time with her friends, Angie's patience had finally run out when she was almost 10 years old, and she started to develop a disliking towards him.

Angie enjoys staying up late despite how she knows she should sleep, but likes to stargaze at night. In fact, when she learned about how Edgar liked to stargaze as well, they started to make plans to watch the stars using his telescope at his home during the weekend or whenever it wasn't a school night. Because of this, she may not have gotten as much sleep as she could have, but still enjoys the times that she spends with her friend. Eventually this spiraled into her finding that they had more things in common than she had thought. At first their friendship was rocky until she learned about his interest in stargazing, but eventually she grew to like how knowledgeable he is despite how matter-of-fact he can be at times.

Todd just so happened to be her first friend that she made, both of them happened to be in the same class and from there their friendship blossomed. And if they hadn't been in the same class, she may never have met Archie, Winnie, Edgar, or Marley.

 **Skills:** is the most patient of all of her friends, is good at thumb wrestling, knowledgeable to some degree, and is great at fishing.

 **Trivia: -** Her little brother Victor constantly annoys her and the rest of her friends, and he happens to be the same age as Winnie.

 **-** Angie doesn't like Marley.

 **-** Angie hates dresses.

 **-** Angie isn't girly like other girls because of all the antics that Archie leads her and the rest of her friends into. She would rather explore with her friends than play with dolls or mess around with makeup.

 **-** **Archie Smithson** **-**

 **Age:** 12

 **Birthday:** September 5th, a few years before 201X **.**

 **Gender:** Male

 **Hobbies:** Exploring, making snowmen, doing pranks on people, boxing, thumb-wresting, exercising, play-fighting, and making little harmless jingles.

 **Bio:** Archie was Todd's neighbor and was born two weeks older than him. Often times Archie would try to play with Todd, but Todd was too young to play with him so it wasn't until they were over a year old that they started playing with each other on play dates set up by their mothers.

Archie often was the one in charge for leading Todd into mischief when Todd on the other hand didn't like getting in trouble, but still found it to be fun nonetheless. It was unspoken that Archie and Todd would be best friends no matter what, and that didn't change when Winnie was born. In the end, Archie spent so much time with Winnie when she was little that she once started to call him 'Big Brother' but Todd and his parents had to teach Winnie not to call Archie that (much to Archie's disappointment due to how he never had a sibling).

Despite being the only person that is an only child in his group of friends, Archie feels at times that his friends are like brothers and sisters to him due to their close bonds with him. Nothing will change how he feels about his friends, and he would never be anything but a friend for them.

 **Skills:** Boxing, resourcefulness, strength, a natural leader, fearlessness(?), and has a knack for singing but doesn't want to make a career out of it.

 **Trivia: -** Archie doesn't like reading, or anything that involves patience.

 **-** Archie would never be rude or insult his friends despite how obnoxious he is... intentionally, that is.

 **-** Archie sees Winnie as a little sister he never had.

 **-** Archie was the one who got Todd interested in exploring places outside their village, and eventually that led to him getting his other friends to do it as well.

 **-** Archie once was forced to join a choir by his parents, but he didn't want to be in one so he skipped any rehearsals he could. He got kicked out in the end by the person in charge of the choir much to his parents dismay.

 **-** **Marley Forester** **-**

 **Age:** 11

 **Gender:** Female

 **Birthday:** November 10th, a few years before 201X.

 **Hobbies:** Ballet (is really into ballet) and synchronized swimming.

 **Bio:** Marley's parents always wanted their daughter to become a ballerina even before she was born, so when she was old enough she was put into ballet the first opportunity there was. She was always spoiled when she was younger, and her parents never really cared how well she did in school so long as she kept up with her ballet practices and skills. So when the time came that her parents did want her to do well in school, she didn't listen to what they had to say and became disobedient to those other than herself and what her ballet teacher had to teach her in class.

So for many years, she never listened to her parents, so they eventually had her twin brother, Edgar, look after her whenever they weren't around her. Seeing how they only got to see her after-school (whenever there was no ballet practice), weekends, and days off of school, her brother would be the one responsible in keeping her out of trouble due to him being with her more during the day than her parents could. She didn't like how he followed her around, and she could never do anything fun whenever he hovered over her at any time they were together and didn't like how he tried to veer her away from trouble or scolded her if she did or said anything wrong to anyone or anything... **  
**

She never really liked Edgar in the end, only seeing the need to talk to him if she needed to complain or rant about something to his disgruntlement.

 **Skills:** Ballet dancing, belittling others, whining, is faster than everyone else, and is strong in kicking power.

 **Trivia:** \- Marley never really did have a time when she got along with Edgar.

 **-** Marley struggles with school, and often tries to get her brother to do her homework for her... which he doesn't do and tells her to do it herself.

 **-** Marley hates bugs and winter.

 **-** Marley spends time with Archie, Todd, Angie, and Winnie mainly because Edgar forces her to so he can keep an eye on her at all times that he can and she doesn't really feel close to her friends.

 **-** Due to her life mostly revolving ballet, Marley has a hard time doing anything other than ballet.

 **-** **Edgar Forester** **-**

 **Age:** 11

 **Birthday:** November 10th, a few years before 201X.

 **Gender:** Male

 **Hobbies:** Reading, learning, doing crosswords, writing in his notebook, chess, stargazing, doing puzzles, and likes doing homework because it poses a challenge to his skills and likes to learn.

 **Bio:** Since his parents wanted his sister to be a ballerina, they put more stress onto the fact that he had to do well in school so he could be successful in life. Unbeknownst to them, this made Edgar feel overwhelmed and frustrated that he was being treated this way. More often than her, if he failed a test or didn't do homework he would be scolded while if his sister failed a test or didn't do homework his parents wouldn't bat an eye at it. So before and even after the time that his parents gave him the task of looking after and making sure his sister did nothing bad or wrong, he was pressured to be excellent in school and represent both himself and sister to be the more mature and perfect child which he hated.

Often times, he wished he was born into some other family, but in the end had to accept that he would be the only one to keep his sister out of trouble. He always knew that his sister didn't like him, but still did whatever he could to keep her in line.

When he met Todd, he didn't exactly feel like becoming friends with the boy because he didn't like how Todd wasn't as smart as him. Eventually, he started hanging out with Todd when he was put in the same group as him during school and upon spending enough time found the boy to be easy to get along with... unlike his sister. In a way, it was relieving for him so when Todd introduced him to Angie and Archie, he put up with them because by then he knew that if Todd thought they were good people there was a chance that he could get along with them as well. Plus, he could tell Todd was a good person and respected that despite not liking how Todd wasn't as smart as himself.

 **Skills:** High intelligence, interpretation, observance, makes good decisions, can persevere during hardship, knowledgeable, and has a knack for knowing when his sister is going to do something that shouldn't be done and stops her before she does it.

 **Trivia: -** Doesn't like it when his notebook entries sound like diary entries.

 **-** Edgar wants to make his mark on the world by making scientific discoveries and aiding the world however he can with his intelligence.

 **-** Edgar wanted to be a scientist originally from learning that the knowledge he is being taught in school was from discoveries made by scientists and from the explorations that Archie put him through helped him gain a trait of curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

 **-** Edgar wishes his sibling could look after herself without him being with her at all times, and wants her to become a better person. He cares about her despite how others perceive that he hates his sister.

 **-** Edgar cares about his friends deeply and doesn't want anything bad happening to them... although from the frustration that his parents expect too much from him and he has to take care of his sister makes him seem as though he can hardly tolerate them.

 **-** **Winnie Fair** **-**

 **Age:** 7

 **Birthday:** March 16th, a few years before 201X.

 **Gender:** Female

 **Hobbies:** Baking, cooking, and drawing.

 **Bio:** When Winnie was younger, only her mother took care of her brother and her until she went back to work. But before and after her mother did, whenever her mother was cooking or baking she taught Winnie how to because of Winnie's interest in it. Winnie tends to be the one who makes meals for the family whenever her parents aren't around, and wouldn't want to give up baking or cooking for the world. And when she was still learning how to cook or bake, she used to cook or bake without properly measuring any of the ingredients so her parents or Todd had to be around her so none of her creations goes wrong. After she started measuring properly, they stopped doing that but Todd still likes watching his sister cook or bake, which Winnie is happy about because she can feed him her creations.

At a younger age, Winnie used to get bullied, and Todd didn't learn about it until he witnessed his sister get punched by the people who were bullying her. For a long time he tried to protect her after that, and tried to coax her into having her tell the teachers and principal, but Winnie didn't want to do it because she didn't want to be mean or rude to her bullies. It wasn't until Todd told his friends about what was happening that they all banded together to tell the teachers and principal about the bullying that was happening to Winnie. And in the end, Winnie's bullies were dealt with but she is still easily turned down whenever she does something wrong or is scolded about anything.

Winnie doesn't blame how her parents are never around as much as they used to be, but accepts how they are doing what they can to take care of her and her brother. Although, she wishes she could spend a bit more time with them, yet tries to make the most out of the time she does spend with her parents.

 **Skills:** Baking, cooking, being positive in times that others may not be, making people happy, and making friends.

 **Trivia: -** At one point, she used to call Archie 'Big Brother'.

 **-** After the late night frying pan accident, she never wanted to be rude, be mean, or hurt her brother ever again.

 **-** Winnie loves anything cute... If she had met a Temmie, she would have tried to convince her brother to not leave the Temmie Village.

 **-** Winnie doesn't like the measuring aspect of cooking or baking...

 **-** Winnie is friends with Angie's little brother, Victor. And Winnie is the only person Victor is nice to out of Todd, Angie, Edgar, Archie, and Marley due to the fact that Winnie is his friend.

 **-** Todd's group of friends (minus Marley) like being around Winnie despite being older than her... If Winnie wasn't around, then they would talk more about stuff their age group is into. But whenever she's around, they have to be careful about topics that are not for her age...

 **-** Winnie used to be bullied at school.

 **-** **Todd Fair** **-**

 **Age:** 11 (almost 12)

 **Birthday:** September 19th, a few years before 201X

 **Gender:** Male

 **Hobbies:** Exploring, puzzles, reading, fishing, and spending time with friends.

 **Bio:** Todd's father and mother often were overworked at their workplaces and almost Todd's whole life after his mother had to go back to work he had to take care of his sister. In a sense, he wished his parents were around more, but his father taught him enough for him to get by whenever they couldn't be there for their son and daughter. Todd was even given and taught how to use a revolver in case people were to break into their home or if any wildlife were to attack Todd or his sister. As much as Todd didn't want to use the revolver, he still kept it around just in case any of those things were to happen.

Todd rarely ever gets angry, but the first time he had become furious in front of his sister was when he discovered that his sibling was being bullied. When he got angry at her bullies, it made her scared of him for a long time, even when he tried to stop the bullies from hurting his sister. Despite how Todd and his friends managed to get the teachers and principal to take care of the bullies, he still feels terrible whenever he becomes angry in front of his sister. Ever since then, he's tried to not get angry easily whenever she or other people were around, as well as he feels a need to protect his sister from anything that could hurt her.

Todd is the reason why he has many good friends. Each one he met individually and eventually introduced them to Archie mainly because Archie was having a hard time making a good impression on people, and Todd just so happened to be a person people naturally liked being around and they put up with Archie until he grew on them. Since Todd is someone who's easy to get along with, it was no wonder people would want to become friends with him.

 **Skills:** Gun training, consoling, open-minded, can get along easily with others, adapts easily to people and his surroundings, doesn't get angry easily, tolerates people easily, protectiveness, and making friends easily.

 **Trivia: -** Todd was the one who introduced his friends to each other. He introduced Archie to Angie first, introduced Edgar to Archie and Angie, got introduced to Marley through Edgar, and eventually introduced Marley to Archie and Angie due to how Edgar wanted him to.

 **-** Todd has to take care of his little sister for most of the time because his parents work almost all the time.

 **-** Since Winnie is friends with Angie's little brother, Victor, he goes with his sister every time she goes to Angie's house out of concern that Victor could hurt her feelings or harm her. He doesn't like Victor, but Todd tolerates the boy and doesn't voice his annoyance about the boy while trying to be nice towards Victor. So Todd is the only one of his friends to have been to Angie's house.

 **-** Todd can't swim. He's been taught how to swim several times, but he just has a hard time doing it. Todd wishes he could swim.

 **-** Todd doesn't like to swear... especially if it's in front of his sister.

 **-** Todd rarely gets angry with anyone, especially if it's his friends and family.

* * *

 **~ Special Supplements! ~**

 **Arturo Aril and His Foreshadowing**

When I first sat down to plan out _The Fallen_ , when I decided to start writing it, I knew I had to come up with something that aligned with canon the best it can. Clearly, Undyne wouldn't be able to fit her role that she has in Undertale at this moment in time, and there is vague evidence (I believe) that she hasn't quite met a Human yet, so something had to be done about this.

And that was making the Captain of the Royal Guard before her.

Arturo Aril was a Monster who didn't want the war to happen, and was a peaceful Monster. But then as I went on to develop him, his intentions became crueler… and he fell out of loop of being peaceful and became unintentionally vengeful…

His name sort of relates to that, by that I mean his surname. Aril is an extra seed covering that often covers a yew seed. Why is this significant is because the aril of Arturo is a Monster who merely wishes for there to be no more bloodshred and dustshed, but in the end, this aril covers up his true nature (yew). And if you don't know, yew plants (the berries that is) are poisonous. So in a way, Asgore had 'poison' in his kingdom (his garden), and he wasn't aware of it until it was discovered and dealt with. As well, anyone like anagrams? Because if you rearrange the word Aril, you'll get another word that sums him up in Part 4 and 5… Have fun figuring it out! ;3

Anyway, Arturo Aril was the bodyguard of the Royal Family, just as his parents and ancestors were for thousands of years. In fact, his very first post as a bodyguard (when he was much younger) was for the young Prince Asgore (who was the same age as him), who felt it wasn't necessary and just wanted to be friends with Arturo. But despite how he tried to be serious about his role, Arturo became a part of Asgore's 'garden' whether he was placed in or thrived there naturally. In fact, his very weapon, a swing blade, can be used for gardening. I thought that tidbit was fun to have for his weapon choice, heh.

The final event of the War Against Humans and Monsters left him in a state of animosity and anguish… and that's one of the things that was the hardest to develop for him. The deciding factor for what it was, was hard to choose. Whether it was that the Monsters were forced into Underground and Arturo couldn't get to his son in time and was trapped Underground (or Asgore pulling Arturo Underground to save him from being killed) before he could save his son or having his son killed despite being promised that no harm would happen to his son was very crucial in deciding his motivations. Whether he truly hated Humans in the depths of his SOUL or was going to forgive them in the end but having that shattered by the death of Asgore's son was hard to decide. After all, Arturo _is_ the last 'Boss' in _The Fallen_ , and that had to be cemented if his 'Boss battle' and reasons for trying to kill Todd were to work.

So I have to say… Arturo was the hardest character to finalize in the story, and I do hope you agree with what I finalized in the end for his character. After all, I wanted Arturo Aril to be an impressive resident of the Underground, seeing how he was the 'final Boss' of the story. All final Bosses need to be epic and impressive, leaving an impression on you as you defeat them, right?

 **…**

 **Brown Magic**

This type of magic is only limited to a certain kind of Monsters, and that was the bloodline of Monsters who Arturo was related to: the Arils.

Unlike the other types of magic, Brown Magic is different to some degree. One of the crucial effects of Brown Magic involves subjecting the enemy to the Brown SOUL MODE, while the caster of the Brown Magic becomes the focal point that determines the property of the ground. As long as the caster remains still, not moving from where they are, the Brown Magic remains in effect. If they move, Brown Magic is disabled until they become still again, seeing how the caster needs to focus all their energy into the ground if Brown Magic is to work. Thus, moving and attacking requires their focus instead of the ground.

While the caster remains unaffected by the SOUL MODE moving or not moving, whoever is not the caster is affected. Their body has a difficult time processing what is going on, sort of like the body is undergoing motion sickness, so moving around will seriously screw up how the brain is processing things, making it think you're undergoing an earthquake or something, which will make it nearly impossible to attack if you need to aim accurately… So not moving is the best option… but that would make it harder to attack depending on how far away you are and what you use to attack. As well, the caster could easily kill you within two to ten minutes from the effects you are subjected to... but that depends on how much you struggle or if you're able to figure out what is actually happening to you.

The only way to attack the caster would be if the caster is moving or attacking the enemy, although it would be hard unless you were accurate with your blows.

Thus, due to the way this magic affects the ground, Monsters have dubbed this magic: Brown Magic.

...Although, Brown Magic is now extinct.

 **…**

 **Why Angie's little brother didn't come**

Archie didn't like Angie's little brother, Victor, and found Victor annoying. This was mostly because Victor liked telling on Angie and whatever Archie had in store, so whenever they tried to do pranks or activities that were not supposed to be doing normally they got in trouble because Victor told on them.

Thus, Archie had to be very sneaky in making sure Victor had no clue about the plan to go climb Mount Ebott. So that was why Archie had to find a way around Victor in order to tell Angie about the big plan to climb and explore the mountain… which meant he had to not tell Angie what they were doing other than she had to meet up with him and the others at the base of the mountain. Unfortunately, that meant he had to do the same with the rest of his friends, even Todd in order to not have their late night exploration exposed by Victor in case Edgar, Marley, Todd, or even Winnie mentioned the activity to each other if Victor just so happened to be eavesdropping on any of them. So, it was a hard task for Archie to do seeing how he could hardly keep his excitement about his plan to a minimum.

So Victor is known to the five group of friends as: 'Angie's annoying little brother' or as Archie likes to call him when Angie isn't around: 'the Snitch'. No one liked being near Victor (although Todd was always nice about it and didn't want to be rude to Victor), thus going to Angie's house for anything was a no go (except for Todd and Winnie). Although, Angie can't blame them for not wanting to visit her house...

 **…**

 **The First Draft/ The Pilot of The** _ **Fallen  
(Deleted Scenes you could say...)  
**_ **(Basically, what the beginning could have been- untouched and unedited ever since I scrapped it!)  
(Was cut due to not liking the characterizations or motivations or appearances or anything that I came up here!)  
**

"Uh… b-brother… y-you burnt it again…"

Todd sighed, taking a look at his pancakes… his crispy and charred pancakes… He gave grimace as he looked at his sister, who pouted at him in return. "Look… I'm not all that great at cooking, Winnie…"

"I'm sure you will! You just need to try harder!" squeaked Winnie with quick nods, her big blue eyes flashing with alarm. "I'll show you again!"

Todd smiled a little, amused as he let his little sister take control of the frying pan. It had been hard lately, especially how their parents had to work harder lately. His father had to go into the mines earlier than usual, his mother worked at the local market… They hardly had time to take care of them, which meant he had to take care of Winnie.

Winnie was shorter than him, wearing a green t-shirt with a beige apron covering the lighter stripes of her shirt, which went down to her knees. As he watched her work her magic with the stove, her light blonde hair, held up in a ponytail, swished.

He could only sigh as he hopped onto a chair at the kitchen table; adjusting his cowboy hat his father gave him that had tipped over his dark blue eyes slightly. How could he take care of his little sister if he was inept at cooking? At least Winnie's lessons with their mother was showing up…

"Brother… you're not watching?" At once Todd stiffened, peering at his sister as her eyes watered.

"No, no…" Todd came over to her side, watching as the mixture as it solidified. "I am, I am…"

"Good!" Winnie chirped with a beam, turning her head back as she poked the half-baked pancake with a spatula. "Just watch me!"

Some days Todd felt as though Winnie was growing up faster than him.

…

"For real? Can't even make _pancakes_?" Archie's roar of laughter made Todd blush.

"Jeez, man!" Todd scowled as he looked away. "A bit harsh?"

"Haha… seriously! You must suck if you can't cook that!" crowed the curly, red-haired boy as he gave an impish grin. "I mean, c'mon, that is low…"

Todd grimaced, feeling Archie plop his rough hand on his shoulder as the taller boy steered him along the path. Archie was his best friend, a boy who was older than him by a year but still was bustling with enough energy and recklessness to dismantle that fact.

The taller, pale skinned boy was wearing a bright red t-shirt with a black vest. His jean shorts were cut up, probably the work of Archie himself to show his 'cool factor'. His brown eyes glinted fiercely as his mouthed worked nonstop to lecture Todd.

Today Todd decided to go with a plain yellow shirt along with his dark brown hoodless jacket, unzipped because Todd didn't feel the energy to do it up. So his jacket whipped against his dark jean pants, held up in a belt that held a hostler for the gun his father gave him as a birthday present.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" asked Todd as he noticed they had left the village now.

"Yeah!" chirped Archie as trees soon surrounded them. The older boy let go of Todd as he plopped his foot against a rock and pointed towards Mount Ebott in the distance. "You see… the elders in town warned me to not go up there!"

"Uh…" Todd frowned as he looked at the grassy mountain in the distance. "Okay…?"

"So! I want you to come with me!" sharply said the red-haired boy as he beamed.

Todd awkwardly pointed at himself, tipping his head to one side. "Err… for what?"

"To explore it! Why else?"

At once Todd stiffened, taking a step back as he bit his lip. "But we're not supposed to-"

"And I've invited the others! I'm not sure about Stella, seeing how she…" Archie wiggled his fingers when he said, "'Likes to take her time'."

Todd sighed. **'Well, she has a reason to… Going up to Mount Ebott is not something I'd be excited about…'**

"But Archie, I can't go up there…" Todd said curtly when Archie continued to chatter on. "I have to take care of Winnie…"

"Oh, then she could come as well!" Archie grinned as he jabbed his pointer finger at Todd.

At once Todd froze, widening his eyes. "Y-You can't be serious… Sh-She's 7…"

"And I'm 9 and you're 8…" Archie said confidently. "If we're old enough to walk around town by ourselves… we're old enough to see that mountain! I'm not scared of the elders' tale… and it's not like we're going to meet a dragon up there or anything… We can do it! Trust me, Todd…"

Todd bit his lip, letting his head drop.

"I'll see you here at 11 tonight…" Archie said with a smirk, punching Todd's shoulder as he dashed away. "Don't forget to bring Winnie!"

The dark blond haired boy could only watch as Archie was nearly back at the village. **'How could I?'**


End file.
